Who Decides? Independence Day!

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government…

The truths, which Jefferson originally labeled “sacred” and Franklin edited to “self evident” are clearly presented: all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. Any discussion of governance follows this declaration of the inherent nature of mankind.

At the time the notion of unalienable Rights from a Creator was almost unheard of. Memory recalled only that rights, freedoms, property, and such, were granted by a Lord, King, Noble, government, etc. by authority of the "Divine Right of Kings." The Declaration was a political separation from the King of England and also a dramatic departure from the concept of “government.” As the Constitution clearly states: “We, the People…” Divine authority for governance henceforth comes directly from the people.  In 1787 the question was put to Benjamin Franklin following the close of the Congress:

            “Well, Doctor, what have we got—a Republic or a Monarchy?”

             “A Republic, if you can keep it.”

The sage knew from the get-go that the idea of the people retaining their authority to govern themselves would come under assault.  For over two hundred years “We the People” have managed, often barely, to keep the Republic.  The assaults never cease, however.

The same ilk of skeptics of the fledgling Republic live today.  Then, as now, busy-bodies and unhappy people use creative means to leach away the inherent freedom of another person.  Believing in the zero-sum - they can only be enhanced by another’s loss –  they gravitate towards machinations that limit, suppress, and outright steal individual Rights and Freedom.   There lies the mischief – who decides? Who decides the happiness of your pursuit?  

Who or what is the authority for what is good for you?   How can anyone know what is good for you?  What makes you happy?  No monarch, central planner, oligarchy or ruling elite, knows what is best for you.  They only know what is best for them.

Not too long ago a great treat of going to the movies was the incredibly tasty popcorn.  Well, that’s not good for you!  Popped in coconut oil, the popcorn was slowly killing you, at least according to those who know what is best for you.  Coconut oil was banned and other oils and flavorings were used for your healthier popcorn.  That’s been a while.

Guess what?  Coconut oil is good for you. 

Freedom is lost by a thousand tiny cuts, any one of which is not fatal, but overall, in time, the “We, the people” loses it capitalization.  The ancient history of ruling elites deciding what the masses can and cannot have and do resumes.  In truth only the individual can know, and thus pursue, his/her Happiness. It is not a government function.

Words mean things. The authors of our celebrated Declaration of Independence didn’t toss words and language about carelessly or in search of catchy “read bites.” They penned a precise document which presented a profound premise for the individual person and his/her authority to construct and/or deconstruct government; to cast away any government that trespasses on the unalienable Rights.

Remember that several years ago millions of Americans went to bed one night, slept soundly, and woke up the next morning clinically obese. No long night of sleepwalking food binging - just an adjustment of Federal guidelines for body-fat ratios. Overnight millions of “fat” people were created – all needing some form of government help for their new condition (aka disease.)  And all they did was wake up the next morning.

Now we have a “war” against obesity.  Thousands of little cuts that have nothing, really, to do with overweight people (and who says that’s even wrong?)

Who decides? The Declaration of Independence is correct – you decide, from the self-evident truths which include your right to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. Make that Declaration every day.

(An update of a couple of posts from summers gone by.  Still makes sense to me!)

It's More Than a Birthday...

Is there a fourth of July in Great Britain?  Of course there is.  They just don't celebrate it.

 We do, and for good reason.  The Declaration presented a framework for the people, the WE of the Constitution, to establish a government that protects and furthers the self-evident Truths.  Nothing like this had ever existed in the history of Mankind.  It was to be the great experiment, and, if successful, perhaps the blueprint for prosperity, peace, and the pursuit of happiness for anyone and everyone.

But that was long ago.  Our wildly successful Republic is evinced by the loony excesses that safety, prosperity, and freedom allow.  What would the Founders think if they could walk the "mean streets" of San Francisco, or Shreveport?  Probably a big  "Whoa!  Where'd this come from?"  Freedom is where it comes from.  Freedom to decide doesn't mean that people always make "good" choices in what they think/say/do.  And, since we're products of physics, for every cause there is an effect, and every effect has a cause.  Misery comes from engaging in the same "causal" action but expecting a different result or "effect."  But that's what it's all about.  And it's why so many do what they think is what they must do to somehow get to the USA.  Just stepping foot in this magical land would somehow improve their life.  Well, yes  A generous people (citizens of a Republic tend to be very generous) WE have many, many, ways for people to visit, work, and, yes, become a full fledged citizen.  It's the Rule of Law, and not the whim of the Despot that defines us.  And most folks around the globe get it.

July 4, 1776 was a time and place where a remarkable gathering of wise, albeit totally human, souls came together to imagine (IMAGINE!) the best way for a people to govern themselves as a society.  Fortunate.  Yes indeed, we are fortunate.  And, even though the wild success of the great experiment can create problems unprecedented (you have to have prosperity and freedom to find new problems), the USA has the means to continue as the haven and launch pad for the freedom of Mankind.

John Stossel puts it very well:

Now, let the fun, festivities, and fireworks begin!

Rights and Freedoms - Unalienable

This essay was written nearly a decade ago.  I could pen the same today.  Or, reprint the original.  It's a holiday, so I'll reprint.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.  Declaration of Independence, 1776.

The (Shreveport) Times, page 8I, ran an article from the Gannet News Service July 2, 2006, entitled “Historian offers Insight into the Declaration of Independence” by Bill Theobald.  Referencing a historian at the Library of Congress, Gerard W. Gawalt, the article presents a question-and-answer format about the Declaration of Independence.

The questions were generally innocuous, such as “Why was Thomas Jefferson chosen to write the Declaration?” and “How many copies of the Declaration of Independence were made?”  However, lurking amidst the mundane was a bit of mischief:  “What do you think Jefferson meant by the term ‘pursuit of happiness’?”  And what did the historian “think” Jefferson meant?

“It meant the pursuit of a government that would bring happiness to the people; in other words, good governance.  It wasn’t happiness in terms of ‘I want a bigger SUV.’ ”  Yikes!  There is mischief afoot.

In the context of the Declaration, Jefferson et al are quite specific, as cited above.    The truths, which Jefferson originally considered “sacred” but Franklin changed to “self evident” (no need to debate something that is self-evident everywhere on Earth) are clearly presented:  all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.  Any discussion of governance follows this declaration of the inherent nature of mankind.

Granted, this was a dramatic statement.  At the time the notion of unalienable Rights from Creator was limited.  Memory recalled only that “rights,” “freedoms,” property, and such, are given to a person by a Lord, King, Noble, government, etc.  The Declaration was indeed a political separation from the King of England, and also a dramatic departure from the concept of “government.”  As the Constitution stated quite clearly:  “We, the People…”

Therefore I must disagree with the writer and cited Historian that the “pursuit of Happiness” meant creating a good government that would “bring happiness to the people.”  There lies the mischief – who decides?  Who decides your pursuit of Happiness?  Already you know that a “bigger SUV” is not in your future.  This is political correctness conditioning the thinking of the peasants.  Give me break – only the individual can know, and thus pursue, his/her Happiness.  It is not a government function.

Words do mean things.  The authors of our celebrated Declaration of Independence didn’t toss words and language about carelessly or in search of catchy “read bites.”  The penned a precise document which presented a profound premise for the individual person and his/her authority to construct and/or deconstruct government; to cast away any government that trespasses on the unalienable Rights.  Then, as now, “control freaks” use every means possible to leach away the inherent freedom of each person  - being zero-sum types, they believe they can only be enhanced by another’s loss – therefore they gravitate towards systems that limit, suppress, and outright eliminate individual Rights and Freedom.

To equate wanting a “bigger SUV” as the meaning of pursuit of Happiness is shallow, insulting, and a calculated phrase to diminish the Right of the individual to determine his/her Happiness and fate.  Whose business is it if someone believes they would be much happier if they drove a Hummer?  More power to the person!  It is not the province of “government” to decide what is “best” for you.  Government decides only what is best for it.  In modern times these dictates are couched in friendly terms of “for the children” or for the health of folks.  Lurking behind these positions and efforts is an undeniable erosion of your inherent, unalienable, Rights.

Who decides?  There are legions of busy-bodies working non-stop to come up with a formula for your good life.   If you are smart, you’ll sign on.  If you’re hesitant, or resistant, well, you’re taxed.  You want that car?  Okay, pay the tax.  You’ve got more rooms in your house than you need (which means someone is homeless because of your greed!) so pay a tax.  Stand by – how many old homes (150 + years) have no closets?  Easy enough to build – but if a closet is considered a “room” and subject to a tax, well, no closets!  We’ve been there, done that.  And here it comes again.

Always remember that several years ago millions of Americans went to bed one night, slept soundly, and woke up the next morning clinically obese.  No long night of sleepwalking binging, just an adjustment of Federal guidelines for body-fat ratios.  Overnight millions of “fat” people were created – all needing some form of government “help” for their new condition.

Who decides?  The Declaration of Independence is correct – you decide, from the self-evident truths which include your right to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.