| It may be politically incorrect these days for
any elected official to even hint that Americans are whiners about whatever
economic or other problems they may be facing at the time, and are becoming
too keen to turn to government for solutions, instead of taking individual
responsibility for their own situations. Get over it. Life is tough.
It isn't the role of government to make your life as easy and prosperous as
you may think you deserve. On the contrary, our freedom to try and
fail and try again until we succeed, rather than to expect our
government to intervene in any problems in our lives, is essential to
America. |
| Perhaps it is worth taking a fresh look at
our
Declaration of Independence, and the many other documents of that colonial
era which complained bitterly for decades about various perceived grievances
against the distant government of Great Britain. Whether all of these
grievances were serious abuses of power or not, as perceived at the time by
many colonists and their political leaders, the point is that this country
was founded through an unprecedented Revolutionary War in response to many
perceived grievances.
We were founded as a nation of discontented but principled whiners.
We had a long list of gripes, but we also confidently assumed that we could
soon create a better government without recklessly throwing away all of the
past successes of government in favor of anarchy.
This was reasoned debate about how to govern better after the efforts to
obtain desired reforms had been repeatedly rebuffed. That led to a
focus on the limits of government power, and how to protect against the
growing intrusions of a distant government on individual lives. |
| In fact, the elegant and memorable rhetoric at
the start of the Declaration of Independence soon descends into a
forgettable litany of gripes which were offered up as excuses to justify the
declaration, as though these were expected to either persuade the King or to
rally colonists to accept the great risks of pursuing independence. |
| "... and the
pursuit of happiness." |
| Note the
very careful choice of words: "... and the
pursuit of happiness." Not equality (see the French Revolution later for
that European socialist ideal).
The individual pursuit of happiness was a right - not the entitlement to
happiness through central government redistribution of wealth or social
programs which would offer more fairness or prosperity to all, or favor some
aggrieved group of citizens with political influence at the time. |
|
"and that among these are life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness" Think about that simple phrase for a minute.
This was a very radical declaration that individuals were free to choose how to
live their own lives, and that these unalienable rights were theirs from
birth.
They were not privileges bestowed by a beneficent monarch or
parliamentary government, like the feudal allegiance owed by all subjects to
their ruler, whether that relationship made them happy or not.
On the contrary, it was up to the free individual to decide fairly with
others whether or not to bestow power on the rulers through the informed
consent of the governed. This power could also be withdrawn by the
people as the
fundamental premise of a republican government.
This was anathema to the European rulers of that era, even if they
welcomed any chance that it might further weaken Great Britain to their own
advantage. It was a direct threat to the legitimacy of all empires and
all rulers. They certainly didn't want such revolutionary ideas to
spread to their own countries or colonies. Many of those didn't regain their
freedom for another two centuries. These were not evil rulers bent on
our destruction, impoverishment, or servitude. From their perspective,
they were being incredibly patient, tolerant, and reasonable in exercising
their legitimate authority over us. The moral
"justness" of our cause was irrelevant to them. They fought hard
to defend their power over us, and we were very fortunate to defeat the
greatest superpower of that time, Great Britain, and still be able to
develop a more constructive "special relationship" to mutual advantage
over the years. We even forgave them for burning down the Capitol
and White House in 1814 when they tried again in vain to defeat us.
It is dangerous to assume that we don't have to be ready to vigorously
defend our freedoms just because we think our cause is just. Power
matters. Others will think that their cause is just, and that we
are the ones who are wrong. Whining will reinforce the dangerous
illusion that we are weak. |
| I leave it to scholars to dissect all of the
carefully crafted words and the meanings which reflected the debates and
complex ideas behind the Declaration of Independence in the political
context of that time. There are many excellent books about that
history. The point here is that America must
firmly defend the free "pursuit" of the extraordinary potential of
individuals. We are motivated to work together for common purpose
and great achievements. It is not about creating a big government
to rule over our lives through more "fair" mandates by those in power.
That, frankly, is what we fought against. It
should be anathema to us to give up our power. |
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