Every year on the Fourth of July
we remember our founding fathers
and the precious inheritance of
freedom that they secured for
us. Every year it seems we
get further and further away
from that birthright, but we
still have much to celebrate.
This country was founded on
principles of freedom from
overbearing rulers, onerous
taxation, and the right to live
our lives as we see fit.
Our independence was won after
decades, and even centuries of
abuses that unscrupulous,
corrupted leaders and big
governments visited upon their
subjects. The Founders
knew there was a better way, and
they forged it here on this
soil.
In the new United States of
America, the rights of the
individual were enshrined in the
Bill of Rights. Today,
government encroaches on those
rights through countless
provisions in numerous laws.
However, how much worse off
might we be had the Founders not
enumerated these rights in the
highest law of the land?
While it is true that many
aspects of those rights have
been redefined and watered down,
and will likely continue to be
eroded, we can celebrate the
wisdom of the Founders and that
at our very core we, as
Americans, still hold these
rights dear.
The American tradition of
individual liberty and
self-reliance still runs deep,
in spite of the increasing nanny
state tendencies that government
has been gradually shoving down
our throats. It is sad to
see government seeking to
completely replace the voluntary
protections through families and
charities that we have relied on
throughout our history.
Especially disturbing is the
rhetoric of community and
interdependence being employed
by the administration to
institute government as the
great middle man for all
healthcare and charity for which
all citizens must dutifully
sacrifice. This trend is
not improving quality of life
for Americans, but instead is
greatly enriching the government
bureaucracies that take a
generous cut of all transactions
in the welfare state.
There still remains much
resistance to cradle to grave
government dependence and
control. This spirit of fierce
independence is a tribute to our
founders and is cause to
celebrate.
The majority of our Founders
believed in sound money, in part
because they knew it kept
government in check.
Governments that are unable to
expand the money supply and
manipulate credit at will are
unable to fund frivolous wars of
conquest. Instead of
adventurism abroad, seeking
monsters to destroy, governments
restrained by sound money are
restricted to truly defensive
wars that the people are willing
to fight and to fund.
Today, in spite of all the
economic turmoil that fiat
currency and military
interventionism has caused,
there is cause to celebrate.
The demand to audit the Federal
Reserve is quite encouraging.
The truth about the fed will put
us one step closer to sound
money, and peace.
Public outcry against the bank
bailouts and the government
power grab known as
cap-and-trade proves that the
spirit of liberty still lives.
Part of our celebration of
Independence Day should include
a renewed determination to keep
fighting the good fight for
freedom. As long as
government continually seeks to
take liberties away, patriots
need to keep fighting this
ongoing war for sustained
independence.
Posted by
Ron Paul (07-06-2009, 12:15 PM)
filed under
Civil Liberties