March 29, 2024

It’s about freedom

Carol Jones

Newton

In his 1992 presidential campaign, Bill Clinton said, “It’s the economy, stupid!” I’ll borrow that language to say something about 2016. “It’s about freedom, stupid.” It’s not the economy, not gun control, not healthcare, not immigration. It’s not racism, not inequality, not welfare, not hunger, not education. It’s not any one issue but the using of an issue, wrapping it in compassion, throwing in emotion, and offering a “helpful” solution. We must be aware, however, that with every good and noble regulation, freedom is eroded.

Big government programs keep people dependent, and a dependent people willingly give up some freedom for what they perceive to be solutions to their problems. Imagine yourself in the middle of a circle. Surrounding you is hard-fought-for, one-of-a-kind American freedom. The circumference of your circle is the limited government designed by our founders, to do for you what you cannot do for yourself, things like national defense, fire and police protection and infrastructure of roads, sewer, etc. As government gets bigger and more involved in our lives, even in ways that appear good and helpful, your freedom gets smaller and government becomes more powerful and intrusive. In 1775, Patrick Henry said, “Give me liberty or give me death.” What was so worth it about liberty that he was willing to die for it? Dust off your history books and revisit the 27 grievances claimed against King George III in the Declaration of Independence. You might be surprised to find they sound all too familiar. Make no mistake, our freedoms today, freedoms enjoyed by no other country in the world, are being diminished in the name of all the goodness meant to entice us. Sometimes, the best solutions hurt a little but do the most good in the long run. Listen to the candidates. What are they promising? Will it be worth it?