Sam Weaver
Social Security facts and myths: Part III
By Sam Weaver
In Part I of this series, I asked two questions: 1) Since when has loving individual Liberty and despising top-down control by bureaucrats been considered "extreme" in the United States of America? 2) Since when did a desire to follow both the U.S. Constitution and common sense become an "extremist" notion?
In Part II, I set a "foundation" from which I would attempt to answer those two questions.
This is my third draft of Part III.
My first attempt was to blame it all on leftist propaganda. I endeavored to show how "progressive 'educators,'" following Harold Ordway Rugg's plan, had successfully captured control of America's sources of education, information, media and, eventually, policy. I abandoned this first attempt for several reasons. Primarily, it was too narrow.
My second draft was much more broad. It was based, in part, on a question that I often asked in my youth: "Why is life so complicated?" I focused on ten topics — ten different approaches to answering my two questions in Part I. I aimed to explain and discuss all ten.
1) Technology*
2) Relativism / "Political 'correctness'"
3) Materialism
4) State, and especially federal regulations
5) Federal domestic policy (social programs)
6) Entitlement mentality
7) Propaganda (There's that word again!)
8) Crime
9) The rule of man vs the Rule of Law
10) Professional educators, unions and, especially, lawyers
I abandoned my second approach because it was way too long.
I present to you now my third and final draft.
Liberty and Justice
The United States of America was founded first and foremost upon a "radical" notion: Individual Human Liberty. No king would rule America. [One of the earliest battle cries of the American Revolution was "No king but King Jesus!"] Government cannot and must not dictate religious doctrine, political ideology, economic policy or scientific methods.
Thomas Jefferson did not invent American Liberty. Nor did James Madison or George Washington. America's Founders and Framers looked far back into all of human history and analyzed governments past and present.
The very idea of American Liberty was and is rooted in the concept of Natural Law — the Law(s) of Nature and of Nature's God. Follow the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God and you will succeed. You will be happy and prosperous despite those who hate you or want to suppress you. Disregard those laws and you will fail. You will be miserable and you will blame anyone and everyone for your failures except yourself.
Liberty is the near absolute right of any individual human being to think, to say and to do anything and everything he wants as long as he is responsible to the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God.
Justice happens when any and every person is punished (or forced to give retribution) for any violation of the Law(s) of Nature and/or of Nature's God.
Tyranny
Tyranny is the opposite of Liberty. Liberty is founded upon Truth — the Word and the Will of man's Creator and the Author of Law. Tyranny is manifest in the philosophies ("wisdom") of man. Tyranny is achieved when the "wisdom" of man supersedes Truth. Tyranny happens whenever the word and the will of man supplants the Word and the Will of God.
Dependence
Dependence upon the word and the will of man is the opposite of Liberty. It is tyranny! Even the slightest degree of reliance on government invites tyranny. Any idea of "domestic policy" violates Natural Law, the U.S. Constitution and common sense.
Dependence (reliance) upon Truth — the Word and the Will of God — is Liberty!
Extremist notions
Before 1775, the idea of Liberty was an extremist notion. Stupid "masses" governing themselves?! Perish the thought! Absurd! Extreme!!
At least 150 years subsequent to 1775, the United States of America became the freest, greatest, most productive, most creative, most generous nation in human history. Why? Liberty: that "extremist notion."
There have always been and will always be men and women — mostly men! — who crave power and control. They want you, the "stupid, unruly masses," dependent upon them.
Liberty — profound respect for the U.S. Constitution with its principle of enumerated and limited powers of government, and love for bottom-up government sans bloated bureaucracies — is an extremist notion to only two types of people: 1) Those who seek power and control over you and me, and 2) Those who are willing to cede their rights, responsibilities and liberties to an all-powerful government.
On the very day that these two types of people become the majority in the United States of America, Liberty will be vanquished from the earth.
Vote on Tuesday! Vote for Liberty and reject tyranny!!
*For those of you who have written to (or blogged about) me claiming that I hate (or fear) modern science and technology; and to anyone reading this column now who may be thinking the same thing, following is what I wrote in my second draft on the subject of "technology":
"The exponential advances since at least the beginning of the 19th century in science and technology have made life easier, overall, for everyone. These advances were all the result of people seeking their own self-interest, offering a product or service that others want and are willing to pay for.
"No one person or company can build a car or a computer completely on his/its own. He/it must purchase or contract parts/technologies (steel, glass, rubber, semiconductors, software, etc., etc.), not to mention labor, from others. No one person knows what it takes to build a car, a computer, a cell phone a DVR, etc., etc. If you are one who believes that you should or even must understand every aspect of modern technology, then you are making life way too complicated!"
Sam's essential links:
Dennis Prager
Dennis Prager
http://econfaculty.gmu.edu/wew
http://www.tsowell.com
http://patriotpost.us
http://www.heritage.org
© Sam Weaver
October 30, 2010
In Part I of this series, I asked two questions: 1) Since when has loving individual Liberty and despising top-down control by bureaucrats been considered "extreme" in the United States of America? 2) Since when did a desire to follow both the U.S. Constitution and common sense become an "extremist" notion?
In Part II, I set a "foundation" from which I would attempt to answer those two questions.
This is my third draft of Part III.
My first attempt was to blame it all on leftist propaganda. I endeavored to show how "progressive 'educators,'" following Harold Ordway Rugg's plan, had successfully captured control of America's sources of education, information, media and, eventually, policy. I abandoned this first attempt for several reasons. Primarily, it was too narrow.
My second draft was much more broad. It was based, in part, on a question that I often asked in my youth: "Why is life so complicated?" I focused on ten topics — ten different approaches to answering my two questions in Part I. I aimed to explain and discuss all ten.
1) Technology*
2) Relativism / "Political 'correctness'"
3) Materialism
4) State, and especially federal regulations
5) Federal domestic policy (social programs)
6) Entitlement mentality
7) Propaganda (There's that word again!)
8) Crime
9) The rule of man vs the Rule of Law
10) Professional educators, unions and, especially, lawyers
I abandoned my second approach because it was way too long.
I present to you now my third and final draft.
Liberty and Justice
The United States of America was founded first and foremost upon a "radical" notion: Individual Human Liberty. No king would rule America. [One of the earliest battle cries of the American Revolution was "No king but King Jesus!"] Government cannot and must not dictate religious doctrine, political ideology, economic policy or scientific methods.
Thomas Jefferson did not invent American Liberty. Nor did James Madison or George Washington. America's Founders and Framers looked far back into all of human history and analyzed governments past and present.
The very idea of American Liberty was and is rooted in the concept of Natural Law — the Law(s) of Nature and of Nature's God. Follow the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God and you will succeed. You will be happy and prosperous despite those who hate you or want to suppress you. Disregard those laws and you will fail. You will be miserable and you will blame anyone and everyone for your failures except yourself.
Liberty is the near absolute right of any individual human being to think, to say and to do anything and everything he wants as long as he is responsible to the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God.
Justice happens when any and every person is punished (or forced to give retribution) for any violation of the Law(s) of Nature and/or of Nature's God.
Tyranny
Tyranny is the opposite of Liberty. Liberty is founded upon Truth — the Word and the Will of man's Creator and the Author of Law. Tyranny is manifest in the philosophies ("wisdom") of man. Tyranny is achieved when the "wisdom" of man supersedes Truth. Tyranny happens whenever the word and the will of man supplants the Word and the Will of God.
Dependence
Dependence upon the word and the will of man is the opposite of Liberty. It is tyranny! Even the slightest degree of reliance on government invites tyranny. Any idea of "domestic policy" violates Natural Law, the U.S. Constitution and common sense.
Dependence (reliance) upon Truth — the Word and the Will of God — is Liberty!
Extremist notions
Before 1775, the idea of Liberty was an extremist notion. Stupid "masses" governing themselves?! Perish the thought! Absurd! Extreme!!
At least 150 years subsequent to 1775, the United States of America became the freest, greatest, most productive, most creative, most generous nation in human history. Why? Liberty: that "extremist notion."
There have always been and will always be men and women — mostly men! — who crave power and control. They want you, the "stupid, unruly masses," dependent upon them.
Liberty — profound respect for the U.S. Constitution with its principle of enumerated and limited powers of government, and love for bottom-up government sans bloated bureaucracies — is an extremist notion to only two types of people: 1) Those who seek power and control over you and me, and 2) Those who are willing to cede their rights, responsibilities and liberties to an all-powerful government.
On the very day that these two types of people become the majority in the United States of America, Liberty will be vanquished from the earth.
Vote on Tuesday! Vote for Liberty and reject tyranny!!
*For those of you who have written to (or blogged about) me claiming that I hate (or fear) modern science and technology; and to anyone reading this column now who may be thinking the same thing, following is what I wrote in my second draft on the subject of "technology":
"The exponential advances since at least the beginning of the 19th century in science and technology have made life easier, overall, for everyone. These advances were all the result of people seeking their own self-interest, offering a product or service that others want and are willing to pay for.
"No one person or company can build a car or a computer completely on his/its own. He/it must purchase or contract parts/technologies (steel, glass, rubber, semiconductors, software, etc., etc.), not to mention labor, from others. No one person knows what it takes to build a car, a computer, a cell phone a DVR, etc., etc. If you are one who believes that you should or even must understand every aspect of modern technology, then you are making life way too complicated!"
Sam's essential links:
Dennis Prager
Dennis Prager
http://econfaculty.gmu.edu/wew
http://www.tsowell.com
http://patriotpost.us
http://www.heritage.org
© Sam Weaver
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