HEllo Lee,   
      
   On Sat 2012-Feb-18 17:30, Lee Lofaso (2:203/2) wrote to Richard Webb:   
      
    RW>> OF course, but then the framers of the constitution never   
    RW>> anticipated professional politicians.  Their thought was   
    RW>> that average folks would seek office as well as vote.   
      
    LL>> The Framers of the Constitution were rich white men.  Most of whom   
    LL>> were lawyers.  And all of them very much aware of professional   
    LL>> politicians, especially those from England.   
      
      
    LL>> Black folk were not included in their version of America.  Women   
    LL>> folk were not included in their version of America. Poor folk were   
    LL>> not included in their version of America. Only those who were white,   
    LL>> male, Christian (preferably non-Catholic), and owned   
    LL>> property/slaves, were included in their version of America.   
      
    RW> True, for the most part, but remember, from the get go there were battle   
    RW> lines drawn over the question of slavery.  Some   
    RW> time within the next few decades we'd finally get the   
    RW> MIssouri compromise.  The slavery question definitely   
    RW> divided the framers, but they had to go forward, and hence   
    RW> ignore that question, and put it off on those who would come after.   
      
   LL> Slavery was an issue the Framers of the Constitution deliberately   
   LL> put off, as it was too divisive.  Unfortunately, no peaceful   
   LL> solution was able to be found, with the result being a war pitting   
   LL> fathers against sons, and brothers against brothers.  A tragedy for   
   LL> us all.    
      
   OF course, and that just illustrates my point.  iT was too   
   divisive even then, although some, especially those whose   
   religious persuasions were Quaker etc. did bring it up.  It   
   almost brought the whole constitutional development process   
   to a halt at one point iirc from my reading on the subject.   
   The question would pop up again and again until the civil   
   war.   
      
   Regards,   
              Richard   
   ---   
    * Origin:  (1:116/901)