Who are we? How do we American’s define ourselves and what values and virtues do we hold forth as defining us to each other and the world at large? And more importantly, how does this affect our upcoming 2008 elections at this very critical point in history?

First and foremost we are a nation that has little in common with the homogeneity to be found in other nations of the world. The French, the Japanese or the British by and large have generations of history, language and cultural distinction that define them. American’s are somewhat dissimilar in that we are a hodgepodge of German and African and Chinese and so many others all mixed up and stewed together. So what values, virtues and characteristics do we carry forward that make us not Indian or Swedish or Columbian but instead American?

The answer lies, I believe, in our founding as a nation. Though they were only words at their writing, they were words that lay the foundation for a dream that could be and ultimately would be realized by anyone of any color, religion, gender or ethnicity. It was the dream articulated by our Founding Fathers in our Declaration of Independence.

            “When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”

In these words we see a separation by those then in America from the British government. But we also see them setting themselves apart from any other nation as well. Whether French, Dutch, German or British they were now American’s, a new and separate nation of people who share, instead of tradition and language, a dream. And it is a dream founded on equality as articulated in the phrase ‘the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them’. The dream is simply stated:

“ 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 one sentence has set a standard for everything else that followed. That one sentence holds the answer to who we are as a people. It has set us apart for centuries and it is that which has drawn so many people of many diverse nationalities, religions and diverse cultures to come to America.

The bold assertion that “all men are created equal” and are “endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights’ sets our nation apart in a very substantive way and also binds us together in a very unique way. No one could possibly argue that the goal implied in that sentence was immediately achieved. It took long years of struggle and a civil war just to begin to fulfill that dream for African Americans. Even today we still see vestiges of bias in use of quotas and affirmative action which do far less to elevate minorities and far more to stigmatize them as incapable of success without extra help. But each decade that passes we get better at the realization of the goal set forth in that sentence. Yet that equality so boldly asserted and which has been the source of much struggle and contention down through the centuries does not imply we are all equal in accomplishment or outcome. It implies only that we all have an equal opportunity to succeed. How is that set forth in this most simple of sentences?

The word pursuit means to me that I have a God given right to the opportunity to pursue my best outcome regardless of who I am. That outcome is up to me-no one else. Pursuit does not imply a guarantee nor an assurance of outcome. It only states that those who are part of the ‘one People” who dissolved our bands and assumed ‘the powers of the Earth’ to ourselves have an unquestioned right to the pursuit of happiness.  

The nation that grew up out of that simple declaration is a nation that prides itself on the independence of its citizens. That image of an independent, hardworking person coming from the meanest of beginnings to succeed is not just a romantic concept. It is realized over and over again in a nation where a poor black child sent off to his grandparents to be raised on a farm with no indoor plumbing can rise to become a Justice of the Supreme Court. It is a nation where men and women from foreign countries can come to our shores, find success and acceptance and ultimately move into powerful political positions as is the case with Governor Schwarztenagger. Where else in the world are such things not only possible but expected? But our nation is never at rest and changes are constantly taking place that could cause us to be more successful but which could also cause a decline in our great nation. What could cause a decline?

The answer lies with the fact that we all have the unfortunate disadvantage of being members of the human race. And that human race comes with a dazzling array of strengths and weaknesses. It is those weaknesses that are preyed upon by those who would gain and keep power over the rest of us. One of the major weaknesses is simple greed. Properly harnessed and put to use in a responsible way it is the cornerstone of our free enterprise economic system. But it can be the tool by which those seeking power can slowly but surely subjugate us as well.

Communism and socialism are based on the Karl Marx concept of ‘from each according to his ability to each according to his need”. It does sound wonderful and giving and enlightened and generous doesn’t it? But for it to work everyone must be doing their level best, with the caveat that no matter how much you may produce it will be shared equally with other lesser producers. In the communist model, and in the socialist model as well, the balance between the each according to his ability and the each according to his need is managed by a benevolent government that sees to everyone’s needs. But the concept has flaws obvious to anyone with even a rudimentary understanding of human nature. With out the ever present need to take care of ourselves, which can occur when people are led to believe that they are entitled to the fruits of others labors, the folks will get lazy and begin to believe that they are entitled to support for different aspects of their lives. The growth of such entitlements is how the power hungry slowly but surely make enough of us slaves to the entitlement that we will help keep in power those who ‘give’ us our entitlements. When all is said and done those who give the entitlement must have someone to support the entitlement because government does not have its own resources and therefore it must take from producers to give to those who are ‘entitled’. How does this affect America?

We see in the current Presidential campaign a proliferation of entitlements as inducements to garner votes. If those entitlements were ever to be realized there would be an enormous increase in the need for funds by the federal government and that money can only come from one place-those who create wealth OR those viewed as incapable of protecting themselves from unfair government taxation. Examples:

The Child Health care law that was just defeated is a prime example. A law intended to help children whose parents cannot afford health care was to be dramatically expanded to include many parents who can afford the insurance but who would surely drop that insurance if they could get it from the government. Who was to pay? Cigarette smokers, a minority in our society and predominantly lower income would have their cigarettes taxed to pay for it. First and foremost the expansion of the program to include those already covered is a simple effort to buy votes and is unacceptable on its face. But far worse is the wholly un-American abuse of an underrepresented minority to pay for this program. The Boston Tea Party was about taxation without representation and this is that very same thing-picking the minority whose habit we don’t particularly like and abusing them financially for issues and causes unrelated.

One of the candidates is on record as stating that she would take ‘excess’ profits from the oil companies to invest in alternative fuels. This borders on the nationalization of an industry. Since when does any government know better than the private sector how to pursue improvements in products and services? The idea is simply laughable-unless you are Cesar Chavez or Vladamir Putin.

Should we continue to elect those willing to offer us the biggest bribes, we can expect their need to fund their programs to extend to more and more minority groups in our society. Today it is cigarette smokers. Tomorrow it may be SUV drivers or folks who drive too far to work. In the end our precious independence will become victim to need to sustain and grow the blossoming entitlements. What to do?

I believe that we must limit government as much as possible. Its intrusion into our lives must be kept to an absolute minimum consistent with its need to provide for national security, basic infrastructure and be the minimum glue necessary to bind our nation together. If there is need for programs like the child healthcare program then it should be limited to those really in need and we should ALL pay for it. And we should certainly leave our private sector alone to do what it does best-move science and technology along to the betterment of mankind unfettered by government tinkering.

We were founded and grew great as the independent and self reliant people best defined by that simple sentence that set us free as a people and a nation “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.”  Each and everyone one of us free to pursue our desired goals, free to make bad decisions, free to suffer the consequences without burdening others of us who are also freely pursuing our goals. Free to fail, free to try again and free to succeed unfettered and unconstrained by government intrusion into every aspect of our lives. Free as well to reach out to our fellow citizens who may have stumbled and help lift them up again, not by government mandate, but the charity in our hearts that always hereto sufficed. A Free and independent and hardworking people just like those who have gone before to make America Great.

We need elected officials who understand who we are when we are at our best and who will help to assure that our nation remains strong by limiting government tinkering in our lives. Such elected officials are not trying to buy your votes with freedom sapping entitlements. If we want to remain the America that our founders envisioned, that our ancestors have fought and died to preserve and that is currently the greatest nation the world has ever known we need to get back to our core values and dismiss that which is un-American.