Constitutional Libertarianism

Constitutional Libertarianism

Friday, October 18, 2013

Two Americas, one place

There are Two Americas now. 

There is the America that looks at the Constitution and believes in individual liberty being the heart and soul of this country.  They believe that the "greater social good" lies in ensuring that every individual is able to exercise their Constitutional rights and that the Federal government is meant to be limited in scope and reach.

Then there are those who believe that the "greater social good" is served by the government being a provider of services and distributor of permissions.  These people think that individual liberty must take a back seat to "fairness" and social welfare.

I am firmly in the first group but I think there are more people now who fit into the second  group.

I now wonder if the geography and population of the U.S. is too large to realistically maintain life as outlined in the founding documents.  The federal government has been allowed to usurp powers and authority it constitutionally does not have but goes unchallenged by the states and the citizens.

To put it bluntly, if someone does not believe that individual liberty is the first and more important aspect of American life, then I have little left politically to talk about with them.

Individual liberty is tied intrinsically to individual responsibility, self determination, self reliance and individually overcoming obstacles and challenges.

Individual liberty carries with it individual consequences for both success and failure.

So much of being a free person is tied to individual liberty in the U.S.  This is a country of individuals who come together as needed, voluntarily, to make common goals happen.

That is what America is about.

The very moment you devalue the individual as only a part of the whole, you have changed the essence of what America is and turned it into one of countless other countries that have existed for ages.

America is singular because it exists based on the individual who also happens to give a damn about his neighbor and chooses to help.  Not because they are obligated, forced or pressed into service because some ruling person or group says so, " for the greater good".





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