I came across this quote over at Hawkins' site today:

"I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth I travelled much, and I observed in different countries, that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer." -- Ben Franklin, 1766

This brought back memories of the early days of the RWRepublic, when I locked horns with a Moonbat blogger over 17th century socialism in the colonies and the Founding Fathers' efforts to keep it out of their great country. I showed him the actual writings of Governor Bradford of Plymouth Colony, writings the Founders would have definitely known.

This quote by Franklin is more proof positive of the evil nature of socialism, the superiority of freedom and capitalism to all other "systems", and the undeniable fact that the founders were all too aware of this. Pride in what the founders did for us is significantly magnified when it becomes understood that they used their knowledge, experience, and wisdom for the betterment of all. Assembling so many great minds in one place could only have been accomplished by God.

RWR