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The Freedom Delusion
By John | December 31, 2009
The word “freedom” is tossed around freely in the U.S. Our military exists to defend our freedom. We fought wars in defense of freedom. Our politicians say they are protecting our freedom. International diplomacy is conducted with the objective of maximizing freedom throughout the world. Founding documents, establishing the United States, make freedom the highest priority. The very structure of our government was designed to provide checks and balances so that government could not infringe upon the freedom of U.S. citizens.
What is seldom discussed in conjunction with “freedom” are the contradictions that have arisen over recent decades.
Can freedom coexist with the Nanny State? Can government provide for your health care, your retirement and your education without taking away your freedom in exchange? Can huge national bureaucracies formed to control agriculture, education, energy, etc. coexist with freedom? Can the government rescue favored businesses from failure, while allowing others to vanish, without trampling on the freedom of its citizens? Can regulations, laws, and even tax policies be used to dictate desired behavior with respect to drug use, pornography, automobile mileage, abortion, smoking, etc., in a “free” society?
The citizens of the United States need to consciously address priorities. What is government for? Is it to take care of its citizens from cradle to grave? Is it to support the special interests of those with political power?
The U.S. Constitution says the purpose of government is to protect the freedom of the people, not to be the greatest threat to that freedom.
Why is it that those who seem to use the term “freedom” the most are the same ones who are most actively denying freedom to others? Why is it that so few in the media frame the political debate in terms of freedom - the basis on which this country was founded?
Let’s at least be honest about the laws and policies that are being proposed. Health care costs are high. Some cannot afford health care. Carbon dioxide emissions may be contributing to climate change. U.S. education is of poor quality. Every time a problem is identified, the solution is always the same. We have too much freedom. Choices must be removed from individuals and transferred to government. Too much freedom means too many bad decisions. Government officials look out for the public good (and never seek their self-interest). The private sector only seeks self-interest.
Everything from the housing bubble to imaginary global warming is blamed on the private sector making bad decisions. Free markets cannot be trusted. They must be replaced with government central planning. Only government can make correct decisions. So government advances, while freedom retreats.
So let’s not continue to delude ourselves. Government, at all levels and under all administrations, systematically takes away personal freedom - takes away the authority of individuals to make decisions for themselves - and transfers power to government.
We are not “fighting for freedom” in this country. We are retreating from it as fast as we can.
Topics: Commentary |
December 31st, 2009 at 4:45 pm
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Let me know if you’re interested.
Thanks..
January 3rd, 2010 at 2:11 am
Great article . Will definitely apply it to my site