Change is Coming, Make it a Positive Change

I have wondered almost all my life if there was any hope that this country would ever rediscover Liberty. Everyone considers Liberty to be a positive. They think they know what it means, that they have it, and will always have it. But when you ask citizens what Liberty means, they can’t tell you. Obviously, citizens are not learning about Liberty in Big Government schools. Maybe Big Government just forgot. Big Government loses things all the time like money. Or maybe, Liberty conflicts with Big Government goals? Maybe the Separation of School and Big Government people are right? Is it possible that Big Government doesn’t want citizens to know that it has Constitutional limitations on what Big Government can do? And to go further, that Big Government has grossly exceeded what government is Constitutional allowed to do?

So what is Liberty? Justice Kennedy, on the Supreme Court, has said, “Liberty is the exercise of freedom that does not interfere with the Rights of others.”

Freedom and Rights are two more words that citizens think they understand but don’t. To most citizens, freedom is used in a context of “freedom from” like from a tyrant. They know what freedom isn’t but they can’t tell you what it is or why any one would want it. Freedom is living without external control, interference, or regulations.

Rights are another murky word to citizens. They think that people have the right to live and it is up to Big Government to enforce that right with any means possible. But a Right by definition belongs to all citizens. One citizen's Rights cannot destroy the Rights of another citizen. The Right to life means that a citizen could sit around and do nothing to ensure their continued existence. They can sit around because Big Government intimidation and enforcement would take from citizens who are laboring to provide for themselves. That violates the very concept of Rights. If you don’t have the Right to the fruits of your labor, the Right to own property, and the Right to associate with just the people that you want to, then there are no Rights. Finally, Rights are inherit, Rights are not granted to us by Big Government.

But Liberty is more involved than what Justice Kennedy suggests. There are a couple of duties citizens must perform in order to enjoy Liberty. First, they must defend the Rights of others. This goes beyond just not violating the Rights of others. If you see someone’s Rights being violated, you have an obligation to protect their rights.

Liberty also cannot exist unless citizens are prepared to live in a Civil Society. That doesn't mean politically correct. Citizens can have different viewpoints on life that may result in arguments. But in the end, as long as no Rights are being violated, citizens must respect the other’s viewpoint even though they disagree. A Civil Society takes work but it too is necessary to have Liberty.

Now think of all the thousands of bills every year that are passed by Big Government that violate one group’s or another group’s Rights. It is impossible to fight each and every bill that is passed that attacks Liberty. Therefore, it is important to educate citizens on what Liberty is, how they are losing Liberty, and how Liberty benefits them directly.

There is a change in the air. Citizens are unhappy with where the Democrats/Republicans are taking us. Citizens want real change. They want Liberty and Big Government to return to what is Constitutional allowed. Ron Paul is the only candidate for President that talks about Liberty. Ron Paul is making citizens aware that they are losing Liberty. Citizens know that if they want Liberty, they need to take action. Now is the best time in generations to spread the word about Liberty. Liberty will solve the problems that landlords are facing. Liberty would give us back control of our lives. While property Rights is the basis of all Rights, we need to be talking Liberty. The Libertarian Party is taking steps to help its members sell Liberty. Join us at this pivotal point in history to sell Liberty.

We are in for a bumpy ride the next 12 months. The choice about whether the outcomes will be positive (Liberty) or negative (Dictatorship) will be the results of our actions.