On July 4, 1776, the founders of our nation published the
Declaration of Independence. This
document established the foundation upon which our nation would win its
independence and establish its constitution.
In the preamble to the declaration we see these words, “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.--That to secure these rights,
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the
consent of the governed” (1) Our nation’s founding fathers envisioned a
nation built upon the foundation of God given rights and that it was the role
of government to protect these rights.
As the Republican Party seeks to get back to its winning
ways, I want to propose building upon the same foundation the founders of our
nation believed in. The Republican Party
must become the party dedicated to the protection of its citizen’s right to
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
However, we must take a moment to look at each of these rights and
determine what they entail so the government can formulate policies designed to
protect them and not over step its boundaries.
Live is important to all of us. We take care of ourselves in order to
lengthen, improve, and preserve our quality of life. The government’s role in protecting the right
to life involves protecting the citizenry of the nation from attacks both
foreign and domestic. On the Federal level,
this involves formation of a military with the duty of protecting our nation’s
foreign borders from outside attacks. In
the last 100 years our nation has been attacked twice from outside. Once in the attack on Pearl Harbor by the
Japanese on December 7, 1942 and the second time on September 11, 2001 in the
terrorist attacks on New York, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania.
The day after the attack on Pearl Harbor President Roosevelt
promptly petitioned Congress to pass a declaration of war, which they swiftly
did. This was done out of concern that
left unchecked, Japan might attack the west coast of our country and Germany
might attack the east coast. This is
what our founding fathers envisioned would be the role of the military.
After September 11, President Bush petitioned Congress to
pass a continuing resolution authorizing the funding of a war on terror to
protect our nation from additional terrorist attacks. There has been a great deal of debate since
then as to whether a continuing resolution constitutes a declaration of war
like Roosevelt called for after Pearl Harbor.
In both cases the nation was attacked from outside forces. In both cases innocent Americans lost their
lives. I believe the semantics of the
terminology here are not what is important.
What is important is that our federal government performed its duty of
protecting the right to life of American citizens by using the military to go
after those that attacked our nation.
The founders also envisioned a government that would protect
each citizen’s right to liberty. They
believed that God gave each individual certain talents and abilities and that
society functioned best when each individual was free to pursue their
individual dreams and goals using their God given talents. However, they also understood that one
individuals liberty ends when it threatens the liberty of another so I do not
have the liberty to murder someone or steal their property for that would
deprive them of their right to life and pursuit of happiness by owning
property.
Finally, the founders envisioned a government that would
protect each individual’s right to pursue happiness. This does not mean that everyone has any guarantee
of happiness but that everyone is free to pursue whatever makes him or her
happy. The founders knew that everyone
has dreams and goals for their life. As
long as these dreams and goals do not harm another person or are against the
law, they should be free to do whatever is necessary to achieve their goals and
make their dreams come true.
Unfortunately, our government has strayed far from the
foundation our founders envisioned for the nation. Instead of protecting each citizen’s right to
life by protecting citizens, our borders are wide open making it possible for
millions to enter our country illegally.
Even though most of those crossing the border come here seeking a better
life, drug dealers, human traffickers, and potential terrorists are also
crossing the unprotected borders and represent a threat to us all. Our cities are becoming war zones where the
big news is how many murders occurred during the weekend. We murder the unborn for convenience while
letting murders on death row live.
Instead of protecting the liberties of citizens, our
Congress passes legislation like Obamacare forcing citizens to purchase health
insurance they do not want or do not need to purchase. Then the forth unconstitutional branch of the
government, the administrative branch, forces onerous regulations on the
citizens that regulate the type of car they drive, their appliances, and even
the amount of water in their toilets.
Instead of protecting the right to pursue happiness, the
government is right there with their hand out demanding more of an individual’s
hard-earned money when they succeed in accomplishing their dreams and
goals. Is it any wonder companies are
outsourcing and even moving their operations out of the country?
The Republican Party can make great progress towards
rebuilding itself by standing on the foundation our founders outlined in the
Declaration of Independence. The party
is looking for a big tent so I recommend that instead of seeking a big tent
from independents and a pathway to citizenship, try appealing to the God given
right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that is inherent in every
one of us.
Next Wednesday we will begin building on this foundation by
looking at what the Republican Party can do to restore the right to life
progressives and liberals have little by little taken away from the citizens of
our nation.
1. Hillsdale College. The Declaration of
Independance. The U.S. Constitution: A reader. Hillsdale Michigan :
Hillsdale College Press, 2012.
No comments:
Post a Comment