In America today, there is a battle over certain basic beliefs which used to form the foundation of our nation. These are not battles over details such as what marginal rate should be used for taxation or which guns are assault weapons. No, what is currently being pushed by many is an assault on tenets that have united the American people for centuries, tenets that, in some cases, our people have died to preserve. These tenets are ideas that cannot be open to discussion and debate; they are undeniable and unalterable. Patrick Henry did not become famous for announcing "Give me Liberty or give me compromise!" He knew, as we all should, that liberty cannot be the subject of negotiation.
The passing of Margaret Thatcher today reminded me of the need for each of us to be steadfast in support of these beliefs. The Iron Lady got her nickname for showing the courage of her convictions, a practice we all should emulate.
Here are five basic beliefs. There are more, but suffice for the moment.
1.) Freedom of religion is not freedom from religion. The founding fathers and those who followed for two centuries never intended for God to be removed from public discourse. It is not wrong for religion to appear in public buildings or government actions. The Judeo-Christian ethic which has provided the basic moral structure of America since its founding is not barred by the Constitution. The First Amendment prevents the government from mandating that Americans adopt any particular religion, but it does not bar religion from our public institutions.
2.) America is the land of opportunity. Put another way, America provides each man and woman the chance for greatness, be that great wealth, great fame or great achievement. The government must strive to remove any roadblocks from preventing access to that opportunity for any citizen. On the other hand, it is not the proper role of government to guarantee outcomes. Some folks will be successful based upon their superior skills, abilities, work ethic, or just luck. Others will just not make it as far on the road to success. This difference is not a failure of our society; it is the natural order of things. While we all must have an equal chance to try for success, we will not all get the same results.
3.) America must be a country without social classes. The countries from which most Americans came had commoners and nobles. Later, they had lower, middle and upper classes. People in those nations were born into their station in life. In places like India, that class could not change for generations. In most other places, it was nearly impossible to change class. In America, however, things were and must remain different. Children born to low income parents can become titans of industry. The offspring of the wealthy can sink into poverty. We must have no social classes.
Over the centuries, America has made great strides getting rid of all vestiges of social classes in this country. Clearly the greatest advance on that front was the abolition of slavery 150 years ago. The struggle for equality has continued since then, but it must be a struggle for social equality not one for economic equality. We cannot promote class identity and certainly cannot foment class warfare without inflicting a major wound on the American social contract. Our country was founded, in part, to escape the viselike grip of class structures on the nations of the old world. We would be throwing away our heritage to move back in that direction.
4.) The government cannot replace the family, and it ought not to undermine the family unit. Hillary Clinton may have thought that it takes a village to raise a child, but she was wrong. To be successful in raising a child, one does much better if there is a strong family unit involved. To an American of the 18th, 19th or most of the 20th century, even having this discussion would seem bizarre. The American family has always been the basic unit of society. The government did not provide child care. The government did not provide housing. The government did not provide food. And most important in this context, the government did not provide moral training or a good example. Now we all know that there were many instances in which families failed in these efforts. That is undeniable, but it is not the main point. What is most important is that families succeed much more often than the government does when it comes to producing responsible citizens from our children. This means that the government must end the policies that undermine the family and replace them with actions that strengthen families.
5.) Human life must be respected. It is not disposable. This is not a debate about when life begins; that is a separate subject. No, this point is that once a human being is present, that being cannot be tossed out like garbage to satisfy the whims of another even if the failure to do so may inconvenience that other person. Government policies must respect and promote life. Put another way, the government does not create life, and it cannot sanction the termination or even the disrespect of each life.
The passing of Margaret Thatcher today reminded me of the need for each of us to be steadfast in support of these beliefs. The Iron Lady got her nickname for showing the courage of her convictions, a practice we all should emulate.
Here are five basic beliefs. There are more, but suffice for the moment.
1.) Freedom of religion is not freedom from religion. The founding fathers and those who followed for two centuries never intended for God to be removed from public discourse. It is not wrong for religion to appear in public buildings or government actions. The Judeo-Christian ethic which has provided the basic moral structure of America since its founding is not barred by the Constitution. The First Amendment prevents the government from mandating that Americans adopt any particular religion, but it does not bar religion from our public institutions.
2.) America is the land of opportunity. Put another way, America provides each man and woman the chance for greatness, be that great wealth, great fame or great achievement. The government must strive to remove any roadblocks from preventing access to that opportunity for any citizen. On the other hand, it is not the proper role of government to guarantee outcomes. Some folks will be successful based upon their superior skills, abilities, work ethic, or just luck. Others will just not make it as far on the road to success. This difference is not a failure of our society; it is the natural order of things. While we all must have an equal chance to try for success, we will not all get the same results.
3.) America must be a country without social classes. The countries from which most Americans came had commoners and nobles. Later, they had lower, middle and upper classes. People in those nations were born into their station in life. In places like India, that class could not change for generations. In most other places, it was nearly impossible to change class. In America, however, things were and must remain different. Children born to low income parents can become titans of industry. The offspring of the wealthy can sink into poverty. We must have no social classes.
Over the centuries, America has made great strides getting rid of all vestiges of social classes in this country. Clearly the greatest advance on that front was the abolition of slavery 150 years ago. The struggle for equality has continued since then, but it must be a struggle for social equality not one for economic equality. We cannot promote class identity and certainly cannot foment class warfare without inflicting a major wound on the American social contract. Our country was founded, in part, to escape the viselike grip of class structures on the nations of the old world. We would be throwing away our heritage to move back in that direction.
4.) The government cannot replace the family, and it ought not to undermine the family unit. Hillary Clinton may have thought that it takes a village to raise a child, but she was wrong. To be successful in raising a child, one does much better if there is a strong family unit involved. To an American of the 18th, 19th or most of the 20th century, even having this discussion would seem bizarre. The American family has always been the basic unit of society. The government did not provide child care. The government did not provide housing. The government did not provide food. And most important in this context, the government did not provide moral training or a good example. Now we all know that there were many instances in which families failed in these efforts. That is undeniable, but it is not the main point. What is most important is that families succeed much more often than the government does when it comes to producing responsible citizens from our children. This means that the government must end the policies that undermine the family and replace them with actions that strengthen families.
5.) Human life must be respected. It is not disposable. This is not a debate about when life begins; that is a separate subject. No, this point is that once a human being is present, that being cannot be tossed out like garbage to satisfy the whims of another even if the failure to do so may inconvenience that other person. Government policies must respect and promote life. Put another way, the government does not create life, and it cannot sanction the termination or even the disrespect of each life.
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