Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness: the Case against Statist Tyranny

Socialism is the philosophical belief that if designed well enough and run by people who are intelligent and benevolent enough that a strong central planning authority (Government) can make everyone equal in outcome. What it ends up doing is turning a society of individual humans into an ant farm where only the most rich and powerful have any freedom at all and the rest of us are just drones toiling away so that the political upper class can benefit. I have shown everyone what this looks like with my Profiles In Communist Tyranny series. It is what has happened each and every single time to varying degrees that Centralist Statist Policies have been tried.

Do you exist to live in servitude for someone else, or do you believe your life is your own? If we are merely subjects of the government, and are at their mercy for our food, housing, health, and well being, then they are our Masters and our Rulers. There is another way of looking at it, though. This position would be that we are Free, that our lives are our own, and that We create government to regulate how we deal with other free men and women. This is equality under the law, or Rule of Law and is opposite of the Rule of Kings, or Rule by Decree. What this would then mean is that you do not have a “right” to any of the “entitlements” that the government creates because the government cannot first give you anything without first taking something away from you (or your neighbor).

This is where the theory that “they Govern us with something that we have not consented to give them” comes into play. I refuse to turn my health and my life over to Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama, and Harry Reid, because they do not OWN me.

Liberty is the concept that an individual has the right to act according to his or her own free Will. Either you have Free Will and you are a Free Man or Woman or you are a Slave, born into servitude to serve your political masters. That is really the basis of the entire debate. The Stoics held that no one was a slave by their nature; slavery was an external condition in opposition to the internal freedom of the mind:

“It is a mistake to imagine that slavery pervades a man's whole being; the better part of him is exempt from it: the body indeed is subjected and in the power of a master, but the mind is independent, and indeed is so free and wild, that it cannot be restrained even by this prison of the body, wherein it is confined.”

Tyranny is the normal result of one group of people attempting to control another group of people. Only beginning in the United States at our founding was the modern experiment begun to see if free men acting in the best interests of themselves and their families could prosper and govern themselves without devolving into tyranny.

So what does it really mean to have Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness?

A man (or woman) has a right to ownership over his Life and also his Property, because he has invested time (i.e. finite part of his life) in it (his property) and thereby made it an extension of his life. For more on this concept read my “Time to Give Something Back” post.

A man or (woman) is entitled to Liberty by virtue that he is Free, Liberty at its most basic and easily understood definition in our modern language is: “leave me alone” or , “Let me do what it is that I want to do.” The other main component of liberty is to do whatever it is that you want to do and to be “Free from Coercion” Our Liberties should only be restrained when they begin to encroach on the Liberty or “rights” of others. In our society today we are “coerced” into doing all manner of ridiculous things that do not affect another person’s liberty in any direct or meaningful way.

There are two types of Liberty: positive liberty and negative liberty. A negative liberty is one in which an individual is protected from tyranny and the arbitrary exercise of authority. A positive Liberty refers to having the means or opportunity, rather than the lack of restraint, to do things. Positive liberties are, or SHOULD BE, given to individuals. Negative liberties are given to authorities to limit their power to inflict Tyranny on individuals.

Social-Commun-ists detest this concept. Their most common argument is that the preservation of negative liberty requires positive action on the part of the government or society to prevent some individuals from taking away the liberty of others. (preposterous)

Take our pResident’s words:

“If you look at the victories and failures of the civil rights movement and its litigation strategy in the court. I think where it succeeded was to invest formal rights in previously dispossessed people, so that now I would have the right to vote. I would now be able to sit at the lunch counter and order as long as I could pay for it I’d be o.k. But, the Supreme Court never ventured into the issues of redistribution of wealth, and of more basic issues such as political and economic justice in society. To that extent, as radical as I think people try to characterize the Warren Court, it wasn’t that radical. It didn’t break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the founding fathers in the Constitution, at least as its been interpreted and Warren Court interpreted in the same way, that generally the Constitution is a charter of negative liberties. Says what the states can’t do to you. Says what the Federal government can’t do to you, but doesn’t say what the Federal government or State government must do on your behalf, and that hasn’t shifted and one of the, I think, tragedies of the civil rights movement was, um, because the civil rights movement became so court focused I think there was a tendancy to lose track of the political and community organizing and activities on the ground that are able to put together the actual coalition of powers through which you bring about redistributive change. In some ways we still suffer from that.”

This underscores modern politicians distorted view on what a negative liberty is. Most ancient legal codes saw negative liberty as protecting the less fortunate from harassment or imposition. Ancient legal codes, such as the Code of Hammurabi, forbade compulsion in economic matters, like the sale of land, and made it clear that when a rich man murders a poor one, it is still murder. The ancients understood that the natural state of government was Tyranny.

A socialist defines Liberty as being connected to the equitable distribution of wealth, in their view, without relatively equality and fairness of outcome, power and influence is concentrated into a small portion of the population which to them inevitably results in the the subjugation of the poor. Thus, Freedom and Material Equality are seen as inseparably connected. On the other hand, the Constitutional Libertarian argues that wealth cannot be evenly distributed without force being used against individuals which reduces individual liberty. Further, a Statist view such as above only stirs up envy and does little to motivate a free man or woman from striving to succeed and better their position in life. Lastly, as stated in my “C’mon Time to Give Something Back” post, the wealthy rarely get that way by treachery.

What makes a person Happy is different for every person. And note that we are not guaranteed happiness we are guaranteed the Pursuit of Happiness, the Pursuit. To pursue that which can make us happy. Now what creates happiness for one may not for another, but we can reach agreement on what we most fear, namely, ruination or violent death at the hands of another. So things that are in direct contradiction to our Freedom to Pursue Happiness are things that we are to be protected from. That is the legitimate function of Government. To remove roadblocks and protect us in our personal quest to PURSUE happiness. Not to give us that which makes us happy.

-Kook

I’ve Got Rights!

  Adding  “I’ve Got Rights” to the Kook’s list of worst pet peeve cliché's along with “C’mon Time to Give Something Back.”  and Further proving that Liberalism is an emotional reaction not an intellectual pursuit, you do NOT have the Right to Free Healthcare, a Car, A House, a Vacation, or anything else like that which government can decree.  But “I’ve got Rights!” you say?

 

 

Well Barney, from where do your rights spring forth?  Do they exist at the whim of  the President?  The U.N.?  Nancy Pelosi?  Who?  Who gave them to you?  If you are spiritual you may say “God”, and I can not disagree.  But if you are not spiritual and yet, still think that your rights are not from the whim of some sleazy, stinky, worthless ass politician then where do you think you got them?

If you say the Constitution of the Declaration of Independence or the Bill of Rights you are still so wrong.  What those documents did was VOICE the rights that are Unalienable.  For those of you living in Detroit or the People’s Republic of Berkeley Unalienable means:

Unalienable, Adj.- incapable of being repudiated or transferred to another.

Now whether you believe that the  Government gives you your rights or whether you  believe that you just have them …by virtue of being alive, or by being God given, it all  really boils down to one central idea.  But we will come back to that.

People used to be ruled by the “Divine Right of Kings”, meaning  kings were of the opinion that God gave them the right to rule.  If you choose to believe in neither a deity or divine rights, then from where do you believe the Government draws its’ authority from?   Some will quickly shout “The People”.   Well in order for that to be true, namely, that Governments serve the “Will of The People”, the people must  first have had the authority in order to give it to the Government in the first place.  If that is the case: the people had the authority to govern themselves in the first place, then it becomes rather impossible for you to say that the Government is the source of our rights.   This is otherwise known as Social Contract Theory, or the theory that Governments derive their rights from the people.  People created government, Government did not create people.  So how does the created thing become the master?  This would be akin to saying that your car drives you.

If you believe the Government does not derive its’ power through divine right, and also that it does not get its’ power from the people, then where DO you believe it comes from?  I suppose if you are a true liberal you would have to say “it just does”   or the “might makes right” argument and that would be enough of an explanation for you. If that is the case then I simply do not know what to tell you.

The natural law argument would be either that a) God gave man free will and he is to rule himself, or if you prefer to look at it more secularly, b) because of the constancy of human nature certain policies have just always WORKED, while others never have and never will.  We have made great technological leaps, however human nature has not ever changed.

The easiest way to understand natural law (devoid of theological discussions which would arrive at the same conclusion) is to say it is how a rational human being, seeking to survive and prosper, would act, while balancing the drive to survive and prosper with the goal of not injuring another human.  Or in easier terms, it is the balance of self preservation while following the Golden Rule.  Ancient Philosophers time and time again realized that certain ideas were universal in the good governance of people, whether you believe this is through man-made logical reasoning or through a gift of God it remains that certain Truisms' do exist, and these are what are known as Natural Law.

Or , I actually think Tommy J said it best:

“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 of 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.”

So what are your natural rights?  I believe that the best list of Man’s Natural Rights are found in our Founding Documents.  And I can assure you, nowhere in them is there the right to: Medicine, Food, Cars, Homes, Education, or really much of anything without cost.  And that brings me to another important point.  None of the things that the present administration is considering are FREE.  It all costs something, and ultimately it will cost more than money.  It will cost us all a terrible price.  So the question you must ask yourself is;

Do you have free will?  Are you a sovereign person?  Are you responsible for you? or do you submit your welfare and your entire existence over to the state.  Basically, are you, in fact, free or are you a slave?  Because those are your choices.  

-KOOK

My Plan for Term Limits

I propose we limit all politicians to two terms

One Term In Office; One Term in Prison.

Many States are already doing this!

-Kook

So Where Do I stand on the issues?

My partner in crime asked Where do you Stand on issues the other day, and it is a great question. I started to answer just to clarify MY positions and it got too long for the comment section.


When I started this blog I would have to say I thought I was what commonly passes for Republican these days. The more I have discussed and aired my thoughts here and studied and read, the more I realize I am Constitutionally Libertarian. So in a nutshell here is my stance on the issues:
Fiscal Policy - Leave us alone. Free Market Capitalism is the way, the truth, and the light when it comes to fiscal policy. The government is the problem not the solution. Audit the Fed, Get rid of the Fed.

Freedom of speech - this means freedom of all speech even that which we disagree with and do not like or that which makes us uncomfortable. This means Fox news and even MSNBC news.



Freedom of Religion- not freedom from, even those ideologies that we do not agree with , as long as those people believing those ideologies can live peaceably with us and not blow up our planes, trains, automobiles, and buildings, or Kill our kids. Free to choose any religion, even none, realizing that this nation was founded on strong Judeo Christian traditions.



Second Amendment - Leave us Alone. It is plainly said in the constitution and there is a reason why. I have perfect gun control thank you: the ability to hit the target, and a good two hand weaver stance.


Abortion- LIFE, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Duh. I do not know exactly where life begins, but in lieu of knowing I will side with Life. It is totally illogical to be pro-abortion and anti-KFC


Taxes - will never be low enough.


Entitlements - breed cultures of dependency and need to be slowly and methodically scaled back and controlled. OASDI will not be there when I need it anyway, start letting me pay for my ancestors as well as save for MY future.


Anthropogenic Climate Change - Good story, right up there with Hansel and Gretel and the Three Little Pigs. All three are to get children and mental midgets to do something someone else wants them to do.




Wars- IF...IF, they are important enough to fight, fight hard, win decisively and come home quickly. Strike fear into the enemies heart and break his will to wage war and you won't have as many people trying to start stuff with you.


UN - keep them here and keep an eye on them, but never take them seriously.




Immigration - I am for all the LEGAL immigration we can stand. I am in favor of making it easier to obtain work authorization. But the line forms over there and no cutting, the rest of you go back the the end of the line, cross our border illegally again and we will shoot you.


Education - leave my damn kid alone, you can't run the post office, DMV, balance a checkbook, read a bill, tell the truth, obey the law, or pay your taxes. Leave my Kid alone. Vouchers are a good idea, let parents vote with their feet, and their school tax dollars. Then the schools that PERFORM will SUCCEED.


Unions- there was a time, fifty years ago, when Unions were a good thing. Now they are just PACs and Criminal Organizations that feed off of hard working people like a tick. They need to go the way of the dodo.



Healthcare - Leave me alone. Tort Reform, Entitlement reform, EMS reform, less insurance restrictions. That would help healthcare. What the Fed wants to do is not about healthcare or health insurance but about consolidating control and power.


Energy, for heaven’s sake drill here, drill now. All the Cars running on wishful thinking is not going to happen this decade or probably in the next two. So let's quit running ourselves into bankruptcy and prevent our economy grinding to a halt. Let's stop funding those entities which do not have our best interests at heart. Let's create some jobs in this country. No Smart grid, that is just like Government Healthcare, a joke and lever of control. Build some Nuclear power plants, they are good enough for China and France, why are they not good enough for us?
-Kook

The Cola War of Politics.

  I have written before how Political ideologies and the parties themselves are like soft drinks.  The Ideology is what is in the “can”, the party is the “can”. Sometimes politicians sell an old product in a new flashy can:

And sometimes you get the old Can with the same product as your competitor:

   We have three options.  The Republican party is Like “new coke”; same great can, horrible product. Actually, the product is just a rip off of the biggest competitor. At this point I don’t want to drink any more GOP, “New Coke.”   The Democrats are like Pepsi. They have been doing the same thing with slight variations of the can since the beginning.  They have been Liberal, and they have been Progressive, and back to Liberal and now back to openly calling themselves Progressive again; but it has always been the same (failed) ideology.

I think the real question is if we can change the back to Coca-Cola Classic formula can we still use the old can label to sell the product?  Or is it better, at this point,  to use the old tried and true formula in a new can and try to compete letting the GOP keep the old label with the new ingredients?  People are visual, and when it is on the shelf you are selling what people remember and the look, not the actual taste. It is not until after you buy it and take it home you get to taste it to see if you like it.   So, can we successfully market an old (proven!, reliable!, great!) idea with a new label and make it work, or do we make Coke put Coca-Cola Classic back in the Coke can?

 

I don’t know and I don’t think many of us really know either, but I know I freaking hate “New” GOP at this point almost more than I do “Classic” Democrat.

KMBR at the Rational Jingo nails my sentiments exactly, read her post:

The Rational Jingo: War for the Soul of the RNC

-Kook

Just a few Questions regarding Outmoded Means of Communication and Travel.

Anybody ever wonder why we do not use Pony Express anymore?  It is probably because we found a better method of transporting the mail.

When was the last time you sent a telegram?  I myself have never sent one.  This is because I have vastly superior ways of communicating.  Did you know the Postal Service owned all the telegraph lines at one point because it was seen as competition and so the government owned them to maintain a monopoly?

When was the last time anyone set out on a ship for a business trip to Europe or Asia?  Used a carrier pigeon to send a message?  Took a train out west?  Me neither.  Why?  Because these things are outmoded.

There is coming a time that between VOIP and Cellular we will no longer need land line telephones.  I can easily foresee (as long as Net Neutrality regulation does not happen) Television as we know it become a thing of the past replaced by YouTube- like streaming web shows.  But I am getting off track.

 

The Postal Service was created 230+ years ago.  It is 18th century technology.  Oh sure, Presidents have moved it to a quasi private industry and we use computers to sort the mail now, air delivery is not novel and does not come with a special  envelope but it is still an extremely old idea.

-ADD moment: what are the top three employers in the United States?  1) Federal Government; 2) Wal-Mart; and 3) the USPS--

Railroads in this country date back to the mid 19th century.  Sure we no longer use coal powered locomotives, but except for commuter trains very very few people take a train to go anywhere.  Few business routinely transport good by train.  With the exception of Cars, Coal, Oil, and other extremely heavy shipments it just does not make sense in this “Just in Time”  age of business.  The need to keep overhead down reduces the amount of products that businesses want to keep in stock necessitating smaller but more frequent deliveries.  Locating your business near a rail head is very inconvenient as well.  In our area they are ripping up tracks and making the rail beds walking trails.  After growing up listening to trains rumble by constantly, I heard a train horn the other day in town and it freaked me out. 

What is my point?  These businesses are too big to fail, and have been subsidized by the Government for decades.  We are lucky we are not still getting mail via Pony Express.  Do you know the last time I bought stamps…me neither.  I pay my bills online.  It is instant, it is nearly foolproof, it is free, and I can see that it happened.  The free market did that.  Not Government.

My Partner in Crime here on the blog informs me that the Post Office in FL near where he lives no longer accepts cash.  WHAT?  I checked just to make sure and on one of my Federal Reserve Notes it does still say “This note is legal tender for all debts public and private” But I guess the USPS has decided to no longer accept cash as a form of payment. I was astounded that this seems somewhat common in certain areas of the country, and nearly taken for granted across the pond.   I will admit I rarely carry much cash.  It is inconvenient, I almost NEVER write a check, not sure where my checkbook even is.  I do it all online, or with a Debit Card.  But for a “business” (and I use that term loosely with regard to the USPS) to not accept cash seems somehow… wrong.

Be that as it may, should I ever get thrust into the spotlight and become President I would likely do completely away with the whole organization as just one more thing we are holding on to sentimentally and because it employees a lot of people in a really great fairly cushy job.  I would just contract with FedEx or UPS and mail would be delivered three days a week.  Sale bills would be outlawed as well as all junk mail.  Can I get a “holla!”

-Kook

Sen. Gary Nodler Announces Opportunity for Southwest Missouri Veterans to Share their Story

This just in from my local state senator.




MISSOURI SENATE
JEFFERSON CITY MO

For Immediate Release:
October 23, 2009
Contact: (573) 751-2306

Jefferson City – Senator Gary Nodler, R-Joplin, today announced that the Missouri Veteran Stories project will be scheduling interviews in Joplin. The state project honors Missouri veterans by capturing their stories on DVD to be preserved for future generations. Veterans’ interviews are being scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 3 at VFW Post 534 located at 110 E. Veterans Way in Joplin.



“Recording and preserving these stories gives future Missourians the opportunity to learn about this country’s history first-hand,” said Sen. Nodler. “At the same time, we are honoring our local veterans and valuing their experiences during their service. I am encouraging veterans in our area to participate and share their stories.”
The Missouri Veteran Stories project is open to all men and women currently residing in Missouri who have served in any branch of the U.S. military. Five- to seven-minute fully edited stories will be produced using interviews and conversations with each veteran. These stories will become part of the permanent Missouri Veteran Stories archive. The archive is available through www.missouriveteranstories.org and through touch-screen consoles in the State Capitol.
To set an appointment for Nov. 3 or to nominate a veteran, log on to http://www.missouriveteranstories.org or call 1-800-905-1536 for more information. For those interested in participating, interviews will be conducted in half-hour intervals throughout the day.

Gary Nodler
32nd Senate District
Capitol Building, Room 423
Jefferson City, MO 65101

-END-

-Kook
via iPhone