On Liberty and the Exercise there of

On Liberty and the Exercise there of


lib·er·ty
Pronunciation: \ˈli-bər-tē\ Function: noun
Etymology:
Middle English, from Anglo-French liberté, from Latin libertat-, libertas, from liber free
Date: 14th century

1: the quality or state of being free: a: the power to do as one pleases
b: freedom from physical restraint
c: freedom from arbitrary or despotic control
d: the positive enjoyment of various social, political, or economic rights and privileges
e: the power of choice

2 a: a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant : privilege
b: permission especially to go freely within specified limits


A funny thing happened to me while in debate with several Liberals, separately. Two of them had invoked one of my favorite quotes from Benjamin Franklin,

"Those Who Sacrifice Liberty For Security Deserve Neither." [a popular variation].

Now, this was ironic on a number of levels. #1 They were using this with the Patriot Act in mind. I happen to think that the Patriot Act was arrived at with too much haste and DID indeed sacrifice too much Liberty. #2 Just the fact that the Leaders THEY have elected have been incrementally turning our government into the "Nanny State" that was predicted by Alexis de Tocqueville.

They always seem to have some brilliant logic to support why they need to take more liberty from you: For the good of the children, To make up for past wrongs, To save the environment. These are all subjects that tug at the heart and provoke an emotional response. Their solution is not always as noble.

The main problem being, Liberalism makes emotional responses, where Conservatism seeks LOGIC. Of course, there are those that have CALLED themselves Republicans, but have made decisions more in line with the Liberal. The Republican Party may have been founded by Conservatives, but few are nowadays. Overall a true Conservative will seek a solution that works over one that SOUNDS good.

“Equality, rightly understood as our founding fathers understood it, leads to liberty and to the emancipation of creative differences; wrongly understood, as it has been so tragically in our time, it leads first to conformity and then to despotism” --- Barry Goldwater

So, Where does the average person fall into this and what policies can be used as example.

Liberalism protected slavery, it justified the actions by making excuses: "They're less than human," just based on skin color and what they considered civilized, therefore treating the slaves in this manner followed along those lines.

In contrast Conservatism lead to the founding of the Republican Party in order to combat the abomination.

Going further back, it was Conservatism that sought to be free from the England, create a government that would be fair, and take the risk of losing their lives in order to promote these ideals. Liberalism didn't want to bother and were happy without the liberty in trade for protection from a strong dictator.

Moving to the modern era, FDR began attacking the structure of the Constitution. He couldn't get the changes he wanted, so he appointed Supreme Court Justices that would rule in his favor on whether something was Constitutional. He was able to circumvent the Checks and Balances that were established by the founders.

He increased the power of the Executive Branch, creating a Central Government that overruled the rights of the states. He also started the major move of creating the dependence of people on the government. Wards of the state. The New Deal created a modern day caste system that is very difficult for people to escape. It sounds compassionate!!!

This strategy has continued to this day. We have programs that once created are impossible to dismantle, even when proven to be detrimental.

We, as a society, are giving up our Liberty for the promise that we'll be taken care of.

A recent poll has shown that 40% of Americans consider themselves to be Conservative, the largest group followed by moderates. I believe that number to be larger if you were to look at the individuals and see how they go about their lives. Most people live in a very conservative manner.

We are shown people that are in need and some of us are swayed by Liberal politicians that promise to take care of everyone. It may be cliché, but the old adage, "Give a man a fish, he eats for a day, but teach a man to fish and he will never starve" is the comparison of Liberal and Conservative methodology.

I won't conclude here which policies that are being proposed today are Liberal, but YOU must take a look beyond what sounds good and decide what will actually work. Promises of Security in exchange for your Liberty.