Due to government intervention in my life, however, much of the time I can't decide or choose what I want to do. The government, both state and federal, has over the years encroached to an alarming degree in our decision making. This has happened incrementally so the average person, busy earning a living or just living life, has gone along with the mandates handed down from our government bureaucrats.
In a civilized society we are in need of rules and I'm certainly not suggesting we throw out all laws and constraints. But having the government controlling every aspect of my life is not how I "choose" to live.
Obama's push for the ultimate control through his "healthcare reform" has triggered a backlash I doubt the folks on the left were expecting. The people of this country are resisting, not just because they know government-run healthcare won't work, but mainly because they see their liberties being eroded. Marxists and self-proclaimed communists of the most corrupt White House ever, have woefully underestimated the level of tyranny and oppression the American people would tolerate.
Dr. Sanity has a wonderful article "Choices" posted today. In it she says:
The Founders understood very well that "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" require that government be kept small and limited in its scope, otherwise it will inevitably encroach on these natural rights that define the American character. If individuals do not take personal responsibility for their own life; if government is allowed to make most of the important choices for you, then you have either voluntarily and willingly relinquished your natural rights; or they have been taken from you against your will.
In either case, you will eventually realize that you are living under a tyranny--perhaps a soft, comfortable and infantalizing tyranny--but a tyranny nonetheless.
This choice--voluntarily relinquishing the natural right to your own life; your liberty; and the pursuit of your own happiness; versus standing against tyranny (even soft tyranny done "for your own good") defines the American character.
I suggest you read the entire article. It's excellent!
As for me - I prefer to follow my little prompt of: I Choose, I Decide, I Will...
5 comments:
The one thing that our government wants total control of is our money. They tax the daylights out of us "for our own good" and they ignore the wishes of those who put them in office. All I know, from what I've seen so far regarding this health care plan, we are going to be paying more for our health care through taxes and fines and the health care industry, i.e. insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies are in for a big windfall.
We lost our chance to choose and decide a long time ago. Even our "choice" of whom we decide to elect is gone due to the corruption in the voting system.
The government only wants the money because the money gives it an easy way to control the people. What the government really wants is control. Our Founders understood that the natural tendency of governments -- any government -- is to acrue more and more power unto itself. They saw this as a danger, and our constitutional order is largely the result of their efforts to prevent government from being able to concentrate its power.
So we have States, the federal government, bicameral legislatures, courts, the presidency, etc. The idea was to divide powers between levels of government (State and federal) and branches of government within each level. Unfortunately, those mechanisms designed by our Founders have been weakened in their ability to prevent the concentration of power. The rise of strong political parties has a lot to do with this as a historical trend. By having parties run different levels and branches of government, collusion between those differing governmental units becomes common. Example: Congress run by the Democrats and the Obama administration. The normal "check and balance" function is undermined by the dominance of the legislative and executive branches by the same political party. This is true when Republicans run the show as well.
As a result, the system envisaged by the Founders breaks down a bit, allowing power to concentrate. And once power moves to D.C., it rarely moves back...
I think that is a fantastic mantra Adrienne.. "I Decide, I Choose, I Will. I think I will add it to my list of quotes that I like!!
Hey, Adrienne. :-) Thanks for your sweet comments and visit to my art blog, Paper Paisleys. Just wanted to let you know though. I've got another blog where I discuss politics. While we don't agree on everything, I think we have a lot in common. Come by and visit it:
http://aimeslee.blogspot.com/
xoxo,
Aimeslee
Hi Adrienne,
When a culture no longer recognizes a common morality, societal breakdown begins.
I think it can be argued that the increased secularization of American culture and the pushing of Christianity out of the public square has led to an increase in social problems -- whenever the family deteriorates, society deteriorates. And when large portions of the population can't control themselves (as Christianity asks them to do)then the government is all too happy to step in and take control. A self-restrained society that values the family has less need of the government than one which in which relativism and "tolerance" are the reigning ethos.
Though I like the motto "I decide, I choose, I will" in some ways, it does smack of Ayn Rand too much for me to be entrirely comfortable -- it also sounds a bit like a pro-abortion slogan. How about "I decide, I choose, I will -- do God's will"?
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