Monday, July 4, 2011

Happy Independence Day, Discover Founding Principles

The Declaration: Freedom from Tyranny


If you have ever been confused about where your moral, political, or philosophical compass should be pointing, look no further than the Declaration of Independence.  The Declaration is clearly, in this trucker's mind anyhow, the greatest treatise on freedom and governing principles ever created.  The Declaration spells it out, and the Constitution puts it into action.

Let's take a look:

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
This shows that our rights are granted to us by God, not government!  This seems to be a concept that is lost on so many leftists today.  The reference to "Laws of Nature" and "Nature's God" make it clear that these guys weren't practicing Christians either, but rather Deists.  They believed that not only do our rights come from God, but our ability to reason comes from Him as well.  When government impedes these God-given rights, it is moral and just for the People sever themselves from such tyranny.

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.
All men are CREATED equal.  This does not infer cradle to grave socioeconomic equality like so many leftists believe!  Once again it is made clear that our Creator endowed us with unalienable rights that can never be taken away or declared null by any earthly institution, because these rights are inherent and absolute.  The pursuit of Happiness refers to our right to acquire and enjoy private property!  The right to private property is the branch from which all other rights stem!  Any impediment to these rights imposed by government are antithetical to our existence and cannot be tolerated.

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, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Our government is supposed to exist solely to protect our God-given rights.  Government derives it's just powers from the consent of the governed, which is was a radical concept then and still is for many leftists today.  This is the principle of self governance.  In Europe, government or the scepter claimed sole ownership over distributing rights to the people and governance, as the people couldn't be trusted to govern themselves.  Leftists today still hold these sentiments, as they see it necessary to pass incoherent and numerous laws out of unaccountable, unelected administrative bureaucracies that affect every conceivable aspect of our lives.  Do you think that our Form of Government still governs with the People's consent?  Don't you think it's maybe time for some alteration or abolishment of those bureaucracies that infringe on our ability to live freely?

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
This paragraph is just scary relevant to the conditions in which we live today.  The following  "...experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed" perfectly describes the mindset of modern America.  What will it take for people to get really pissed about what the government does on a daily basis to infringe on our right to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness?  I personally believe that the actions of our government against private property rights most of the time go beyond the "light" or "transient" kind.

There are our Founding Principles.  I wish more people will take the time to discover them and put them into the context of the country in which we currently live.  Share the Declaration of Independence with your family, spouse, friends, or whoever, and find out why the Founders cherished freedom.

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