First though -- this from others, the pros. About freedom in general
Star Parker the excellent writer talking of MLK. Below a link to the Article.
-----link-----
http://www.urbancure.org/article.asp?idCategory=3&idsub=1&id=3093&t=Paying+tribute+to+King%27s+legacy
---------------
Next are two wonderful quotes from her about freedom in general.
This first one was set up by comparing the Jewish liberation from Egypt and their struggles and also the differences from the freedom blacks have gotten in America.
-----Quote-----
“Receiving the law was the crucial stop between escaping Egyptian servitude and entering the Promised Land. Freedom amounted to exchanging external oppression for personal responsibility”
-----------------
Ah. She’s claiming freedom isn’t free and the price is the personal responsibility of following the law. The law simply being the tool used to help people help others protect their freedoms thereby protecting their own. To protect my freedom I must help others protect theirs.
The next 2 lines of her article provide the next quote and applies to all people who have freedom in my opinion.
-----Quote-----
“Like Moses, the great prophet and leader of the Israelites, King did not make it into the land.
Perhaps the message is that even the greatest leader has his place. He can lead in adversity, but he cannot live your life for you.”
-----------------------
She seems to be saying that while great ideas like we have in our constitution for my example, may have been formed by great leaders, the responsibility to keep it in place is for the individual not the government. That responsibility is the one freedom we still possess. The freedom of the ballot. In that booth we can vote for whatever we feel will protect our individual freedoms, not what may be politically right.
-----These quotes point out to me what I’ve always known; I am not free unless I choose to be. Someone else choosing for me does not make it so. These quotes also remind me that there is a price to be paid for freedom. It’s called responsibility. It is a heavy price to pay. I must give up a lot of freedoms to maintain it. But can that be right? Is that not hypocritical? Shouldn’t I be able to have total freedom? I am an American in this great democracy in the land of the free.
----- A constant thread through my writing is coming to grips with this basic contradiction. It all boils down to a definition of freedom related to and as an integral part of society. In the above quotes a law was given Moses to help guide his people. The bottom line is that the law had to be followed by the majority of the people or else their freedom from bondage would collapse. All those laws simply can be summed up by saying that in order to protect your individual freedom you have to respect and protect the freedom of others. A society based upon freedom cannot exist without rules to that effect In my opinion.
From back in the day Janus sang “Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose”. I think she also was trying to come to grips with that contradiction. The hippies of the day were trying to claim all freedoms for themselves, perhaps Janus had gone down that road far enough to realize that to have total freedom one must lose everything society has to offer. I wish she would of given herself enough time to realize that that was a bad thing.
------That brings up that current dirty word "compromise", where do we draw the line. How much do we give up and for what? I like running water, indoor toilets, automobiles to drive around in, movies, supermarkets. In essence all the comforts of modern living. Why would I not? I used to think that if I wanted to get rid of the bloated bureaucracy and it’s constant drain on my freedoms I would have to do more and more without all the comforts it provides. Then I had an epiphany. Let’s keep all the luxuries I like and just transfer all the power we can from the bureaucracies back to free enterprise. They seem more directly responsible to me than the president of NEA or other super bureaucracy. I can't simply not buy education (by not paying taxes)
----Not totally abolish it -- even I along with Janus understand we still need to have government; just keep it as small a possible. No need for the layer upon layer of government to do what used to take one layer. The more localized the governmental control the more direct control we have over it. Examples abound as to the inefficiency of multi layered government. Below are some links stating the obvious.
- http://coreprinciples.blogspot.com/2008/04/regulation-of-trauma-scene-waste.html
- http://coreprinciples.blogspot.com/2008/04/porta-potty-proliferation-bill.html
- http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080428/COL04/804280375
During these hard times with business failings galore and personnal income slipping there is always the government to look to for inspiration. They are growing leaps and bounds.
- http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:hI5lgyph0_EJ:usgovinfo.about.com/od/governmentjobs/a/hiringbinge.htm+government+hiring+increase&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=5&gl=us
- http://jobs.aol.com/article/_a/hiring-leaps-in-public-sector/20080430132409990001?ncid=AOLCOMMjobsDYNLprim0001&icid=100214839x1201139264x1200046674
Some might call it a ponzi scheme.
One possible way to start digging back out.
Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative
No comments:
Post a Comment