Should Thomas Paine Be Disappointed In America's Government?

If Thomas Paine, the writer of Common Sense in 1776, was to miraculously rise from the dead, he would likely describe America’s current state of Affairs and the progress of America’s government as impressive yet disappointing. Thomas Paine would likely be disappointed in America’s government due to the inefficiency of the government and its’ poor decisions. On the other side, Paine would be impressed by the power of the government and the good it does.

In Common Sense, Thomas Paine’s describes government as a necessary evil. Therefore, it would be difficult for any government to seem ideal in Paine’s mind. Paine’s supports the philosophy that people should give the government power, hence a democracy. He also believes that one’s government should be highly

If Paine were to rise from the dead, he would most likely be both pleased and disappointed in America’s current government. In America’s current government, millions of dollars are thrown at issues attempting to solve problems that will need more than money to solve them. For example, five years ago, a group of philanthropist donated over 200 million dollars to the New Jersey school district in a botched attempt to save the school district. The plan failed miserably as the government recently announced that the money has all been spent while dropout rates and test scores remain relatively the same. However, Paine would be pleased that the American government has maintained the Separation of Power which includes the Legislative, Judicial, and Executive Branch. This in turn has protected several of American citizen freedoms such as the freedom of speech, religion, and petition. In Common Sense, the idea of a democracy is often mentioned and promoted as the ideal government. A democracy is defined as a system of government in which all the people of a government are involved in making decisions about the state’s affairs.