Liberty is a somewhat more elevated concept than freedom. To be free, might mean that there is no monetary amount involved, as in “free food,” or “buy one, get one free.”
Liberty, though, is an expression of the condition of mankind relative to controls on his life. Liberty includes freedom, but is more majestic and encompassing.
Liberty is not a new idea. It is not some government program or grant. It does not require taxes. Liberty is a God given right (“…endowed by their Creator…). If you don’t believe in God, that phrase has no meaning, thus you can know nothing of liberty.
Government has come to believe that it is the giver of liberty and the determiner of rights. That concept would have been shocking to the framers of the U.S. Constitution. Indeed, they set out to keep the government from being the entity that defines, determines and grants rights.
Too many people today do not understand or agree with the framers’ approach to a government anchored and conceived in liberty. They don’t know how to behave as liberated people, because liberty carries with it the idea of self-determination. That they do not comprehend or desire liberty. They would rather have “free” phones, “free” meals, and “free” insurance, all paid for by the rest of the “free” citizens.
Liberty allows a person to work as hard as he wants to in order to gain as much as he wants to fulfill that which he believes will make him happy. That is the “…life, liberty and the ‘pursuit of happiness’…” part of the Declaration of Independence. Government today wants, indeed strives, to limit liberty by interrupting that pursuit.
Government believes that if you work hard, earn a lot and become an economic leader you are somehow some kind of evil person, just because you have more than somebody else. It also believes that if you earn more you should be forced, under penalty of law, to give a greater portion of those earnings to the government for the purpose of redistributing those earnings to those who have worked less, earned less and have less.
Liberty promotes, enables and encourages success and innovation. Government tends toward preventing, disabling and discouraging success because it elevates one person or persons above the other(s).
The idea of “…all men created equal…” has come to mean that all men must be made equal in possessions and life’s outcome. What it really meant was that citizens are given equality under the law and are to be treated equally by the government.
The concept of liberty is the foundation of the Constitution of the United States of America. It was written for the expressed purpose of limiting government from impinging on the liberty owned by the citizens. That is a foreign concept to many today, but it was the focus of the enthusiasm for the Constitution when it was framed.
There were differences of opinion as to which things the government would be restricted from doing, but in the end, it came together as the greatest document ever written by the hand of man.
Today’s government believes it is smarter than the people and should dictate the kinds of toilets they can use, the kinds of light bulbs they can use, the kinds of cars they can drive and the kinds of toasters they can use.
That is the antitheses of liberty.
The United States of America was conceived in liberty. The question is, how far from the concept of liberty will it stray?
Liberalism eschews liberty, considering it adjustable. Conservatism champions it, considering it absolute.
9 comments:
Joe - There are some things that the government can do that is good for the welfare of the people. It's just that it gets carried away and goes too far. Like the light bulbs. It seems like some group of people is just sitting around trying to think up things for the government to do.
Obviously Joe I don;t agree with much of your interpretation. This point however, I agree with... The idea of “…all men created equal…” has come to mean that all men must be made equal in possessions and life’s outcome. What it really meant was that citizens are given equality under the law and are to be treated equally by the government.
If government is the sanctioning body for marriage, [by the power vested in me by the state of] what logical rational can there be for denying gay people the right to a civil wedding?
SH: "...the welfare of the people."
That's ALWAYS the reason the government give for doing any and everything they ever, ever do.
The government sees its job as thinking of things it can do. That always leads to more control over the citizens. Always.
DM: "...what logical rational can there be for denying gay people the right to a civil wedding?"
I don't know. I've certainly never advocated denying their "right" to a civil wedding.
I HAVE said that to consider the results a "marriage" requires the redefinition of the term "marriage."
Typically, when liberals don't like the meaning of a word, they just change it and cram their change down the throats of everyone.
What you advocate is the brutality of a system of social Darwinism.
We've been through this when your Calvinist philosophy was a ascendent. It failed.
We've moved beyond all that thankfully but many like yourself cannot accept that mankind has group as well as individual origins. We have to find that balance and what you advocate goes much to far to the individual side.
You'd be a lot worse off in the system you propose.
I still enjoy the "changing the meaning of a word" argument. Pure nonsense. The institution of marriage evolves like all human institutions. Some of us grow up.
Ducky: "Some of us grow up."
Too bad you weren't one of them.
Joe - You, sir, are hilarious.
"Liberty is a God given right (“…endowed by their Creator…)."
No one has placed more restrictions on our Liberty than your God! Other than maybe other people's Gods.
The Constitution frees us from the tyranny of the gods by establishing a secular rule of law that supersedes your particular beliefs by allowing us all to worship or not worship as we please.
Your "God" extends us no such Liberty. "Thou shall have no other Gods before ME!"
The Constitution, written by men, for men, clearly states that we can all just ignore that commandment from a clearly insecure and needy diety and do as we please.
In that sense the Government is very clearly "...the giver of liberty and the determiner of rights." The first 10 amendments to the Constitution are clearly labelled as The Bill of Rights.
That is the government enshrining in secular law the fact that all citizens have these rights. If the Bill of Rights had not been written by men, you would not have those rights! Period. Because your Bible clearly doesn't give them to us.
"Liberalism eschews liberty, considering it adjustable. Conservatism champions it, considering it absolute."
Nonsense. Liberals embrace complete liberty for all individuals to do as they please as long as long as their pursuit of personal happiness doesn't infringe on another person's liberty.
It is conservatives who go to INCREDIBLE LENGTHS to restrain and limit the liberty of individuals and restrict what sorts of happiness they may be allowed to pursue.
XO: " restrict what sorts of happiness they may be allowed to pursue."
So, it was conservatives who decided that prayer was no longer fitting at high school football games?
The list of restrictions on people instigated by liberals, progressives and other Democrats is so long it would reach to the moon and back.
Your "argument" is so full of hatred and intolerance as to be almost comical.
But it is not comical. It is sad. very, very sad.
The foolish things of the world confound the wise. The weak things of the world confound the strong. The wisdom of the intellectual has been made foolish.
And it is all being laid bare before us now, as clear as a bell.
Joe - "So, it was conservatives who decided that prayer was no longer fitting at high school football games?"
No, that was a court decision brought about by an ACLU lawsuit seeking to enforce the restrictions put in place by our founding fathers as enshrined in Constitution.
It is conservatives who have continually forced themselves into the bedrooms and reproductive organs of individual American citizens and passed laws governing who can do what to whom in what manner in their own pursuit of happiness.
There is no more grievous interference with my Liberty than when you extend the hand of the government into my pants.
XO: "... when you extend the hand of the government into my pants."
You know what? I think you actually believe that. And it is totally predictable...right in character.
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