By Douglas V. Gibbs
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. -- The Declaration of Independence
By man's rights being endowed by their Creator, it means that if God is the giver of rights, only God can take them away. If that is true, then government cannot do anything with those rights, other than ensure those rights are protected. A government that does anything different is nothing less than a tyranny.
Should a government become a tyranny, it is the right, and the responsibility, of the people to ensure that government either changes its direction back to the position of protecting liberty, or be abolished and replaced by a government that will.
The suffocating spirit of tyranny has no regard for life (abortion, euthanasia), but dominates its citizens with soul killing authoritarianism. The domination over the citizen is achieved by offering entitlements, and then controlling the dependent's choices under the guise of ensuring the tax payer's money is well spent.
I was speaking with a young woman recently who as a single mom was abused by her boyfriend. She has a restraining order against him, and he has no interest in being a father to the child. Therefore, the mother and the father of the baby came to the agreement that in return for him not having to pay child support, he would give up all custody rights to the child.
The young woman, recently laid-off by her job, is receiving medi-cal government insurance temporarily, until she secures a new job, and is able to provide health insurance for her child. She is living with her parents, and they are currently providing all other means of support.
Since the young lady is receiving health coverage from the state, the state called for a meeting at the court building to address the issue of support by the father. After advising the mediator of their agreement, a loss of custody to the father in return for not having to pay child support, the state told the couple they could not do that. He would be required to pay support, and since he is unemployed the state would also penalize him for not paying support, and she could not have full custody unless she found a husband willing to adopt the child. And then, added the state, if the mother doesn't find a job herself within the next 30 days, she will be subject to investigation by the state regarding whether or not she is worthy to be the parent of her child. The fact that her parents are providing support is of no consequence.
The fans of Obama call the new health care reform law "free health care." Free to whom? The money to pay for it comes from somewhere, and for those that don't pay for it with their checkbook, they will pay for it with a loss of choice, and the government sticking their nose into the recipient's lives as they are doing with the young lady above. That is what leftism is; a dark hue of absence of choice amidst a dark cloud of helplessness and the loss of self-reliant individuality.
When the government practices socialist oppression, and tyranny gains a hold of it, the system decides for itself that it must become the giver and taker of rights. So, in addition to being a killer of choice, the government in this stage of growth also becomes an enemy of God - for if there is a God, government cannot take away the unalienable rights provided by the Creator.
Liberalism has been working toward a greater grasp of power for hundreds of years, but for the last century, the push has been especially strong. The political elite have acted much like communists, believing they must do everything for the people, and destroy the opposition while they are at it in order to achieve the power they believe they must have. The leftists in power could care less about history, and how their agenda has failed over and over again in the past. All they must do, according to the leftists, is destroy history, re-write it, and destroy the message of anyone that opposes them by vilifying any dissent. To oppose the liberal ideology is to commit a crime, to face demonization by the self-annointed elite, and to face the full brutality of tyranny until your message becomes nothing more than a pile of ashes on the garbage heap of history. Such is the result of anyone that dares go against the communist-style tactics of the left.
Conservative ideas have worked every time they have been applied. The limiting principles in the U.S. Constitution were not devised by accident. The founding fathers knew that by limiting the authorities of the federal government, America would prosper, stand the test of time, and become a glorious nation of liberty for their children, and their children's children.
Self-governance is the key. States must self-govern without federal influence just as the citizens must be able to be self-reliant without the nanny-state tactics of an overbearing governmental system. That means that we should be pushing for personal responsibility while moving away from the trappings of a welfare state. One of the keys to do this is reforming entitlement programs with the goal to eventually eliminate them, and for government to back off of the free market while encouraging confidence in capitalism over command economics.
Big government elevates the state and downgrades the citizen. The bigger the government, it has been said, the smaller the citizen. Who would truly wish for their own individual role to be diminished to nothing more than a dependent on a governmental system that dictates to them their actions?
For government to be efficient, it must be made smaller in size. This is what conservatism is. Less government so that the people may be free to achieve their own goals. Big government is a system of heavy regulation, and regulation restricts competition, and shrinks the human spirit for achievement.
Taking chances, and chasing the incentive of success, encourages discovery, invention, and a robust economy. Government intrusion kills the entrepreneurial spirit of Americans, and ultimately collapses economies. We have learned this before, but the liberal democrats don't seem to be able to recognize the facts of history.
The dynamic Republican Party of Ronald Reagan has been sleeping. The peace through strength, prosperity through smaller government and smaller taxes, support for the unborn, protector of family values, and unrepentant party of American exceptionalism has been silent. Through the Tea Party Movement, and as a result of the hard left antics of Barack Obama and the current congressional Democrats, the sleeping giant is awakening, and is ready to announce itself. The question is, will the new Republicans be Conservative warriors that kill big government madness? Or will they be the GOP of the last couple decades that act like they can just run the liberal programs better than the Democrats did?
Of course the GOP should be the "party of no." There is no constitutional authority for the federal government to intrude upon the private industry, be it through banks, auto companies, or the insurance industry, and the Republicans must say "no" to all of it. What is being proposed, and enacted, by the Democrats is clearly a socialist agenda not unlike systems that sprang forth with authoritarian dictators attached. Now is not the time for the Republicans to not take themselves seriously, or to fall into the same old game of cesspool politics. Either the Republicans stand with the people, or they don't. Their opportunity is coming, and America is hoping the conservative Republican Party steps up to the plate, not the wishy-washy wet blankets that call themselves moderates when they are clearly progressives.
I believe deeply in traditional values, and I will defend them politically to the ends of the Earth. I believe all of those values come together when we abandon tyranny, and use the U.S. Constitution as our guide post. Entitlements are only pleasant for a season, but it doesn't take long before the tyranny offering the freebies expects the recipients to pay the piper.
It is our choice. Tyranny, or Freedom. We must choose, for it is our decision. Otherwise, we are nothing more than just another banana republic with a tyrannical leader, and a population of mindless zombies standing in line with their hands held out.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
No comments:
Post a Comment