The American Wisdom Series

Presents
Pamphlet #243

ON MY MIND / by AMY CARSON

 In Libertyville, Pa., citizens wouldn't depend on  government

 Thursday, November 18, 2004

 I often dream of living in Libertyville, Pa. (LP). In LP, you can walk the streets
 at night and feel safe from crime. You'll only pay half the taxes you do now.

 So what are you going to do with the extra money and freedom? Send your
 kids to a school of your choice? Buy a better home, retire early, support your
 church or charity in a way you never thought possible? Maybe live off one
 spouse's income so the other can stay at home and raise your children with
 the values you believe, not strangers?

   Is LP possible? As recently as 1950, it was, but what happened?

At just 29 years old, I have seen government take over our lives with programs
promising better results. I've seen people become dependent on government
and lose confidence to stand up on their own two feet. I've seen social
programs spend billions and the problems get worse, not better. I've seen our
prisons overcrowded with people who harm only themselves, leaving little
room for hardened criminals like rapists, murderers and thieves.

I decided a while ago that I've had enough of my freedom lost and I don't want
my children to blame me for the liberties lost by the United States. I don't want
them to be deprived of the American Dream our Founding Fathers gave us --
the American Dream of being left alone and independent to take our own risks
in life. Sometimes we fail, but we can get up on our own and not blame anyone
or become dependent on a king or government official.

I now fight for everyone's American Dream -- the American Dream being life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I fight for everyone's liberty, on every issue,
as a Libertarian.

William Allen White wrote, "Liberty is the only thing you cannot have unless you
give it to others." What does that mean? To me, that means you can eat, drink,
smoke, dress, take risks, medicate, protect yourself, burn, write or say just
about anything you want, as long as you do not interfere with another's liberty.
And the money you earn with your labor is yours, not society's. That's what
liberty means to me.

When you deny someone their liberty, don't expect them to stand up for your
"important" liberties. You may not agree with the behavior of that individual, but
who are we to dictate the choices of others if their actions in no way have an
impact on our individual liberty or property? Drive on your side of the road and I
will drive on mine. Live and let live. IN A socialistic society, political leaders
decide to build stadiums, museums and farm show complexes that "will
benefit" society with so-called job creation. What guarantee do we have that
our hard-earned money through taxes is better spent on these taxpayer-funded
projects than the way we would have chosen to spend it?

Think about it. If a private investor wanted to build a ferret petting zoo and the
zoo fails, it's his or her investment that is lost. The investor takes the risk with
his money. When government uses your money to build an aquarium or a
stadium and it fails, it's your money, and our children's money.

Jobs are just shifted to where the government wants them, not "created." And
when that government official is long out of office, it will be us who must
continue to subsidize these projects without future prosperity and our
children's. TO HELP THE less fortunate, would you give your money, that was
previously taken from you through taxation, to the current welfare system, or to
your church or synagogue? Which has a better success rate? You would
decide, not government.

Finally, was our society founded as a democracy or a republic? If there are 21
people on an island and 11 are violent criminals, would you want to establish
a pure democracy, or a pure republic? How about gang rape?

In a democracy, the majority always wins, even by one vote. In a republic, we
elect representatives to uphold the Constitution, the law of the land. In a
democracy, if the majority voted to make smoking anywhere illegal, you could
be placed in jail for smoking in your home. In a republic you wouldn't.

Our Founding Fathers knew what they had established and why -- "...and to the
republic, for which it stands..." The United States is a republic, has rules, so
the majority can never take the rights away from the minority.

As Ayn Rand wrote, "and the smallest minority on earth, is the individual." And
that's on my mind. I would like to hear your comments at
amy--carson042204@hotmail.com.

AMY CARSON writes from Boiling Springs.