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In the United States, 2012 is a presidential election year. As American citizens we are privileged to take part in the democratic process. However, for many of us the campaign messages bombarding us from television, social media, and countless other mediums is exhausting.

The closer we get to election day, the more the campaign messages seem to be something negative about the other candidate. Our friends want to have heated discussions about issues near to their heart. Yes, I am passionate about my beliefs, and I have my own political opinions, but I look forward to post-election America — yes, there will be some people very upset their candidate didn’t win, but they can get over it.

Living in our nation’s capital, I am fortunate to have so many great things to photograph. Last weekend, some out-of-town guests visited me again. They were here in the spring, but this time they returned with their husbands. It was quite funny to watch these “fellow” photographers turn their husbands into pack mules as we walked for miles photographing most everything we saw.

One of the ladies was my high school English teacher. On the last trip, she was a bit disappointed we didn’t have time to visit the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress. Earlier this year, I wrote a blog post about an earlier visit to it, and she was determined to see it for herself.

I am a big fan of Thomas Jefferson for many reasons. Yes, he was our third president, but he did so many other things. So, this election year I thought, “What would Thomas Jefferson Do (WWTJD)?” I wanted to share some of my favorite quotes and some photographs.

  • “I predict future happiness for Americans, if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.”
  • “I cannot live without books.”
  • “The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers.”
  • “The end of democracy and the defeat of the American Revolution will occur when government falls into the hands of lending institutions and moneyed incorporations.”
  • “Information is the currency of democracy.”
  • “The purpose of government is to enable the people of a nation to live in safety and happiness. Government exists for the interests of the governed, not for the governors.”
  • “Educate and inform the whole mass of the people…they are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.”
  • “A government big enough to give you everything you want is strong enough to take everything you have.”
  • “If people let the government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as a sorry state as the souls who live under tyranny.”
  • “That government is best which governs least, because its people discipline themselves. If we are directed from Washington (heads of an organization) when to sow and when to reap, we will soon want for bread.”
  • “The most truthful part of a newspaper is the advertisements.”
  • “A room without books is like a life without meaning.”

NOTE: Please don’t steal my work — see my copyright notice below. If you’re a charitable organization or an educational institution, and you’d like to use any of my images, send me a message. But please, ask me first. Thank you. If you do decide to purchase a print, all purchases will benefit the Friends of the Wounded Veterans.

Interior of the Thomas Jefferson Building (Library of Congress). The picture is a composite of three frames: EV-1, EV 0, and EV+1. The frames were merged using a high dynamic range (HDR) technique in post-processing.

Taken with my trusty f/2L 135mm Canon lens.

Interior of the Thomas Jefferson Building (Library of Congress). The picture is a composite of three frames: EV-1, EV 0, and EV+1. The frames were merged using a high dynamic range (HDR) technique in post-processing.

The main entrance.