There is a war of ideologies going on in this country which has been growing in intensity. Whether it began in 1860, or in 1900, or in 1776, is all debatable. What is no longer debatable is that it has now reached an intensity that we have not seen in my lifetime. Our ancestors left whatever lands they hailed from to come here for a reason. They no longer wanted to be ruled. They came from countries ruled by “the divine right of Kings”, Dictatorships, Theocracies, and many fled the tide of Socialism and it’s children Nazism, Fascism, and Communism. They came because only in this country could a person be free to rule themselves. To determine for one’s self, what was in one’s own best interests. To risk, and to either reap the rewards, or suffer the consequences, on their own terms.
The old battle of whether there could be Self Determination or to be ruled and taxed by someone unaccountable to you was won on the battlefields of the Revolutionary war. It was a radical concept at the time that men could be free to rule themselves, and we won it, briefly at least. But in that battle of ideologies’ place came a newer more insidious battle.
I wrote yesterday that in the continuum between Anarchy (lack of Government) and Tyranny (total Government control) our left and right has been constantly sliding down the hill towards Socialism, and Tyranny, for over 100 years.
It was easy to make the distinction between a king sitting on a throne who got his power from his father and would give his power to his son, who was wholly unaccountable to the people and ruled by the sound of his voice; and a body of citizens, chosen by citizens, to protect us from criminals and foreigners. That argument is easily summated and digested. It can be understood by the smallest child. It really comes down to being bossed around by a bully, or being governed by a group of your peers. A much harder debate is the Role of that government once enacted. The Founders were very aware that once started a government just grows and grows and they tried to warn us of it. Now our Government no longer listens to the people. We are not represented. Those of us who produce things are being bled dry by those who produce nothing to give what we have worked for to those who will not work.
Here is the question: Is the role of government to fulfill all of your wants and desires, or is it to remove roadblocks in your pursuit of happiness?
The problem is that it is difficult to properly articulate freedom’s principles into a slogan easily shouted or to hold the goldfish-like attention span of TV addicted people today. All of the debates over Liberty vs. Tyranny boil down to just a few simple questions.
What do you want out of life? Which system of government will best allow you to achieve those goals? Are you a dependant or are you free? These are the questions we should focus on.
Let me start with the last one first. You cannot be both “Free” and “Dependant” Children are dependant on their parents for the Housing, Education, Food, and their Healthcare. Likewise, many of our “citizens” are dependant on the Taxpayers, via the Government for all of these things. The price for these “Free” things and this willing dependency on the government is the loss of your “Freedom”. It is that simple. If you willingly accept Government Housing (which more and more of it is indirectly), Government Food (in which governments regulate every aspect from growth to consumption), Education (which between the public schools controlled at the federal level and the takeover of student loans as part of healthcare reform encompasses nearly everything), and Government Healthcare, which was just proclaimed via fiat across the land, then you have given up your Freedom for Dependency and you should be aware that now, just like when you lived under your parents’ roof, your Provider has the right to dictate all aspects of your behavior as a condition of your dependency. You have willingly given them the right to tell you where to live, what to eat, what
doctor to use, and not only what school to attend but soon probably what course of study. It is not a far step to how many children you have, indeed if your are beholden to the taxpayers for your existence that is a logical, reasonable, parental function. That is the price for your Free stuff from the Government.
So, ask your liberal friend or family member what their goals in life are, and then demonstrate to them how it is absolutely within the Nanny State’s purview to re-direct their goals to something else in the interests of those in power.
I choose Freedom, not Dependency; Liberty, not Tyranny.
-KOOK
