There is a war for an idea going on in America and the world. This battle has, at times, erupted into military conflict, but usually it is fought in the minds of private and public figures. We’ve seen our nation drift precipitously and perilously close to the edge.
We’ve felt an ominous presence, a formless wraith that haunts our waking and thinking. A feeling of malice and dread blanches the joy out of our lives.
Let’s bring this feeling of helplessness forward into our rational mind and examine it.
For too long we have suffered under a mentality that there is no end to the good that our government can do. Therefore, when we encounter an obstacle that is far too great for a person, we decide to “let the government handle it.” With this misguided falsehood, we spent trillions on global climate change, carbon-scrubbing, welfare, racism, the list goes on.
The intent of these perceived catastrophes is universal: Make the individual feel inadequate. Therefore, the individual will allow his government to take everything from him — his earnings, possessions, freedom — to garner some sense of safety and order.
“There is a stark difference between Americans and Europeans regarding the primacy of individual freedom versus political stability.”
The following distinction is crucial to our nation and our individual freedom. This truth was written by Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence.
“One answer lies in America’s foundational belief that God, not the government, grants individual liberty. The government’s role is to protect and preserve that liberty, not to dictate or restrict it.”
We are ruled either by man or by our creator. If ruled by man, then a government or a dictator can control us.
“In contrast, the monarchies of old Europe operated under a different philosophy. There, the sovereign was the king, whose authority was divinely granted, and the people — after the aristocracy — were merely subjects.”
This level of control got so heavy in America, that we rebelled and voted out both Democrats and big-government Republicans who advocated for more central control. We replaced them with people who seem to understand that we must control our government or it will control us.
There is a cost for individual freedom: eternal vigilance. It is absurd to think that men in government, or any nebulous government agency, will control themselves. They will not, and they cannot.
Therefore, it is incumbent upon every citizen to speak out against the abuse of central control. We elected the politicians; they enabled a vast bureaucracy to control our every move. Then they tax us and put us into debt to pay for our masters. This is insane.
In the coming days, we will see many stories about people displaced by massive government firings. At no time will the mass media look at the cost of so much excessive and useless spending. At no time will they explain that we taxpayers and private-sector workers pay for all these government employees. Neither will they discuss the burden on each citizen to fund such a massive government.
Yet that is the story behind this revelation: Incrementalism and emotional personal stories are the tools of the trade for the Collective. Make-believe crises that only “government” can solve are another.
Either we keep what we earn and make our own choices or a nebulous government takes and dictates. We favor limited government, far smaller than today. The Constitution does just that: it restricts government to limited and clearly articulated powers. It says what it says. The Constitution is not subject to manipulation through interpretation.
The dark malaise we felt was this encroaching domination. The light we see is a dawning awareness of the way to put our controllers to the background and thereby control them.
Jay Davidson is founder and CEO of a commercial bank. He is a student of the Austrian School of Economics and a dedicated capitalist. He believes there is a direct connection between individual right and responsibility, our Constitution, capitalism, and the intent of our Creator.
Image: JSMed via Pixabay, Pixabay License.