Subject or citizen?
Are we citizens in a free country or subjects made to serve the rule of those in power?
My political philosophy is simple. Government is not my master. It is not my parent, my lord, my savior, or my nanny. What it should be is the protector of my freedoms and gaurantor of my right to choose the path I walk in life. I demand the right to believe and choose as I will not as a government official chooses for me.
In this respect I am a libertarian. Government must be limited in order to preserve the liberty of individuals. This is a defining element of our political heritage, the very foundation of American democracy. But it is not anarchy. There can be no liberty in anarchy. You must have limited government. A balance between controls and freedoms.
But what is government itself but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is no doubt the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions.
James Madison, Federalist Paper No. 51
Unfortunately, our country is becoming a place where every moment of your life will be proscribed, examined, probed, and controlled. Government control of Healthcare will greatly accelerate this trend.
Through the control of Healthcare the Federal government will then have entree to begin regulating the heath of those recieving the benefits of Federal healthcare. The decisionmaking power passes from individuals to the government. When you are to go to the doctor will no longer be a matter of choice but a matter of law. What you eat and how often you exercise will no longer be a choice but a matter of law with the attending punishments for disobedience.
We are already bombarded by local and state governments who see no problem in regulating anything no matter how small the activity or how intrusive the enforcement would be – often in complete disregard for any sense of what civil rights are. Believe me, I live in California.
When politicians speak of an era of responsibility they speak with the forked tongue of Orwell’s Big Brother. What they mean is that more nannystate is on the way. They believe we are their children, to be guided, led, and scolded as they see fit.
When it comes to greenhouse-gas emissions, Energy Secretary Steven Chu sees Americans as unruly teenagers and the Administration as the parent that will have to teach them a few lessons.
Speaking on the sidelines of a smart grid conference in Washington, Dr. Chu said he didn’t think average folks had the know-how or will to to change their behavior enough to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.
“The American public…just like your teenage kids, aren’t acting in a way that they should act,” Dr. Chu said. “The American public has to really understand in their core how important this issue is.” ~blogs.wsj.com
This is not the change we have been waiting for.