I fear the greatest of all atrocities is playing out before our very eyes. That is the government is slowly but surely stripping us of our rights, liberties and ultimately of our happiness. What was once a prosperous republic founded on true principles has become a confused and floundering near-socialist nation uncertain of its future but certain that change is necessary. I might add that this was a similar political climate in which the people of Germany gave power and rights that were theirs to a ruthless tyrant bent on oppression and undisputed rule.
We are at a crossroads and I fear that what once upon a time were the good intentions of our elected political officials have become untrue and unfounded principles that sell what is good for the silent majority to quiet an outspoken minority.
It is overwhelming to have witnessed in my short life the rapid decay of a great many of the true principles whereon this country was founded. Principles over which blood was spilt and the lives of too many liberty loving people were laid upon the altars of freedom.
Once upon a time in recent past an honest and hard working individual would be rewarded for his ingenuity and efficiency. How rapidly we have come to the point where such traits are punished. Individuals and ultimately companies and corporations are punished with unrighteous taxation burdens, lawsuits and the like for having provided us with the goods and services we have demanded and in which they, as being free market participants, have fulfilled. As if to say “How dare you! How dare you provide us with goods, services, jobs, benefits and economy. How dare you find financial success in providing us the things we have, as a free market demanded, let’s get ‘em boys.”
I, as an individual do not have a right to what you have earned. Unlawfully taking what you have is commonly referred to as stealing. The vice our federal government has so subtly placed on us is commonly called taxation. Frederic Bastiat called this “legal plunder”. He defines this as follows: “When a portion of wealth is transferred from the person who owns it—without his consent and without compensation, and whether by force or by fraud—to anyone who does not own it, then I say that property is violated; that an act of plunder is committed.”
We have allowed the government to create laws to take what you have even at gunpoint. Only then to redistribute this property to themselves or others who have not earned it. I say to those who have not earned it because generally speaking those who have earned property do not desire property that was plundered from other hard working individuals.
Promises are and will surely continue to be made to offer you and me security and safety from an uncertain future. “They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety” as stated by Benjamin Franklin.
Our federal government has grown to sizes never before conceived in the hearts of freedom loving individuals but rather in the hearts of socialists, communists, dictators and tyrants. I dare say that those who died in the Revolutionary War for the cause of an independent and free country would not recognize the bastardized political system we would be led to believe is the world’s most powerful “democracy”.
If they were willing to dump tea in to a bay, revolt against England and ultimately die for freedom from reckless taxation on some basic goods than what would they do if they suffered the tax burden we are currently under? More specifically income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, taxes on capital gains, death taxes, gasoline tax, marriage license tax, social security tax, vehicle tax, workers compensation tax, unemployment tax, school tax, etc. All of which have been enacted within the past 100 years and the list is sure to grow far longer and more onerous.
Ask yourself the following questions: What service does the government provide you in return for these seemingly countless tax dollars? What good or service does the government provide that would not be provided in a more beneficial, efficient and affordable manner in the private sector? What do you believe the government does well? Do you want the government in charge of more aspects of your life?
If you were to go in to a restaurant and wait 1 hour before you were seated, another hour before your order was taken, yet another hour before your food was given to you and in the end your food was rotten and grossly overpriced. Would you ever give your patronage to that establishment again? Surely you would not. You give money in return for a good or service provided in a reasonable and efficient manner. If your general expectations are not met you avoid interaction with them again and instead give your hard earned dollars to an establishment willing to meet or even exceed your needs. Yet in the very same instance we tolerate such behavior from our government. Not only this but we, the voting citizens of our nation, continue to give this government more and more power with every election cycle. Power to take more and give less. We contribute money in the form of taxes to our government in exchange for a good or service and we are continually disappointed with the outcome. When will this end? When will we come to the end of our tolerance for such continual mistreatment and misallocation of resources?
I write this not as a result of any singular political outcome or any scenario experienced with our government on a local level. I write this simply to point out how far we have come or how far we have fallen from the true principles upon which our nation was founded and to awaken the minds of those locked in a trance of apathy and procrastination searching for someone else to save them. Let us not fear the challenges of an imminent and uncertain future and sell our God given rights, liberties and freedoms in exchange for a false sense of security and safety provided by a political machine founded on false principles.
I do not fear the threats currently promulgated by enemies not of this country. I fear greatly however those citizens of this country who choose to not exercise their rights but instead give them away to seekers of power and authority offering within their seemingly arbitrary platitudes an ever growing government and further encroachment on our freedom. Let us remember the statement by Adolf Hitler “Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it.” To me this is representative in political officials promising us jobs, security and economic prosperity and in the very same breath vowing to destroy the very free market corporations that provide employment and drive economies. It could not be more evident to me that the government and its officials want to increase our dependence on it and reduce our ability to act for ourselves and receive the consequences WE have earned for better or worse.
We need change from our current political climate. Perhaps “change” is not as correct as saying we need to return to the fundamentals which made the United States of America the world’s most powerful and influential nation. I am a patriot and I believe that this nation was founded under God’s watchful eye and his ever merciful and benevolent guidance. I believe we have ceased to lend our ears to the inspirations of God and instead have given platforms to groups and individuals seeking their own special interests at the cost of our freedom and the greater good.
Samuel Adams said: “A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy. While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue then will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader."
Let us be seekers of truth, protectors of freedom and agents unto ourselves. “We should not give in to evils, but proceed ever more boldly against them.” (book six of Virgil's Aeneid)
The newspaper said the parade was from 6-7. When we got there we realized what they meant to say was 6-6:15. We missed all of it, but I did manage catch a glimpse of a pretty awesome tractor covered in Christmas lights. So the lighted parade has made it on our list of things to make sure we do next year since we missed them this time around. We still wanted to do something Christmasy (I realize that's not a word) so we went home, started a fire, and had hot chocolate. This was Jack's first mug of the chocolate goodness. He loved it! So much so that he threw a fit when he drank it all and found out he wasn't getting a refill.
