The case for individual liberty in America is of the greatest consequence when we think about the future of our country. Individual freedom is the essential element for the continuation of America as a self-governing, constitutional republic. We cannot and must not turn our backs on this quintessential value. We must not replace individual freedom with a demand for government-provided security, as dictated by those who would have us become totally beholden to a centralized state. All of us should fear a centralized state that grows ever larger in size, scope, and aptitude for coercion.
Our Enemy, The State
I can write the following based on the evidence of history: A centralized state will always become the enemy of the people, regardless of what country we discuss. Dennis Prager, the founder of Prager U, was eminently correct when he opined, and I paraphrase, “that the bigger the government, the smaller or inconsequential the citizen.” Big governments, even in a democracy, will marginalize individuals and deprive them of all dignity, value, and development. History has clearly demonstrated this outcome, over and over again.
Individual liberty is the foundation of every successful aspect of American life. The trinity of inalienable rights that Thomas Jefferson set forth in the Declaration of Independence explicitly includes liberty. The bedrock of American values is this trinity of rights. No other society or government in recent history placed so much significance on individual freedom, as did America. Many countries do not recognize the value of the individual and the individual need for purpose and meaning in life. One of the great mysteries in this world is why collectivism and centralized government have any remaining followers, instead of being relegated to the dustbin of history once and for all?
A Relevant Quote For Reflection
Lysander Spooner wrote the following quote sometime in the late 1880s in his book, “No Treason: The Constitution of No Authority.”
“…whoever desires liberty, should understand these vital facts, viz,.: 1. That every man who puts money into the hands of a “government” (so-called), puts into its hands a sword which will be used against himself, to extort more money from him, and also to keep him in subjection to its arbitrary will. 2. That those who will take his money, without his consent, in the first place, will use it for his further robbery and enslavement, if he presumes to resist their demands in the future.”
Lysander Spooner (1808-1887) was a legal theorist, abolitionist, and radical individualist.
Internal Link: https://whitebeardwisdom.com/what-makes-america-america/
External Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysander_Spooner
