Liberty, not Equality

It is July 4th and I have just finished reading the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Both are remarkable documents, to say the least.

These founding documents speak of "Liberty" and almost nothing about "Equality". Yet much of today's rhetoric from citizens and the media emphasizes all sort of equality.

Notably, the word "equal" appears only twice in the Declaration of Independence. Once rerferring to "separate and equal station". The other as "all men are created equal". It clearly states the desire to create liberty and freedom from King George's authority.

In the Constitution the words "equal" and "equality" appear only 5 times. Only in one case does it refer to personal equality. I.e. in the 14th Amendment which assures equal protection under the law. The other cases refer to numerical equality of one sort or another in the structure of the government itself. 

In fact, the overall purpose of the Constitution was to provide "liberty" as expressed in the opening words "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish ths Constitution for the United States of America".

From these documents, it is clear to me that our country was founded to promote "liberty", not "Equality".

So, what is Liberty?

In the dictionaries, Liberty is defined as

1. The quality or state of being free. The power to do as one pleases. Freedom from physical restraint, Freedom frtom arbitrary or despotic control. The positive enjoyment of various social, political or economic rights and privileges. The power of choice. - Merriam-Webster

2. The freedom to live as you wish or go where you want - Cambridge Dictionary

3. The state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The state of not being imprisoned or enslaved.  - Oxford D ictionary 

We must be careful when trying to impose equality lest we abridge another's liberty. For example, wouldn't achieving equal income require redistributing the wealth earned by others? Would this not abridge the others liberty to acquire that wealth?

I believe that the Constitution essentially tried to establish a "hands off" form of government that would encourage individual freedom without impositions or restraints. In other words, a minimal amount of government. One that would not tell one what they could or could not do. And, one that certainly did not impose and sort of constraints.

I don't think that is what our government has evolved into being. Far from it!

George Orwell was right in predicting a "Big Brother" who is watching everyone, A "Ministry of truth" which rewrites history to conform to government policies. "Thought Police", Etc.

It's downright scary!

What ever happened to "We the People"

It's the 4th of July and I've been reflecting on our unique form of government. I've updasted this blog with a few more thoughts.

Seems like our nation has forgotton how we were created. In 1776, "We The People" collectively came together and tried to form a "more perfect Union". It boggles my mind how today's politicions can't seem to come together and agree to do anything, let alone make our union more perfect.

This situation didn't happen overnight. John Locke (in 1689) wrote that all governments would tend to become totalitarian and wrest power away from those they govern. Our founding fathers read and understood Locke's premise. They strived to create a minimal amount of government that would avoid anarchy, support liberty and freedom while providing for cooperation. Today's government has evolved into a huge bureaucracy where nearly 30% of all workers have government jobs. The population is asking "We the Perople" to give us what we want rather than working for it ourselves.

Our society has moved from one in which people worked cooperatively to accomplish things for the common good. Today's society is one where individuals and minorities reign supreme. It has become "Me Centered". Individuals are saying, "I want what is mine to have. I want it now. I want someone else to give it to me. And, I want it on credit". If anything is wrong in their world, they want someone "else" to fix it rather than fixing it themselves or with the cooperation of their neighbors. 

This is a dangerous trend. If not corrected I fear that our democracy is doomed to failure. This trend ultimately transfers all individual power to the government or to others. Locke's premise has taken root.

The folks whom we have elected will not fix things. The won't, because they are influenced by lobbyists, corporations, the wealthy and by their own greed. If they fixed the national debt, addressed global warming, enacted term limits, or fixed the health system, etc. they themselves would be personally affected adversely. Therefore, they will never vote to truly fix anything.

Our elected officials spend an immense portion of their time seeking the money needed for re-election instead of working to solve the people's problems. The are guided by money and not the constitution and the law. They worhsip cult leaders (like Mr. Trump) like they were idols. Seldom to the winners actually represent a majority of the voters. Eighteen of the fifty-nine presidents received less than 50% of the popular vote. (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_presidential_elections_by_popular_vote_margin). How can one say they "won" with only 49% of the vote. That means the other 51% didn't want them. The system is seriously broken.

I fear for the very existence of our democracy.