Conservative Politics Today

By Virginia H. Shanahan

We have heard the scare before, “We are one election away from losing our independence and freedoms.” I dare say that fear has given way to probability.

We in this nation already suffer at the hands of an oppressive government; A government whose boot is on the very throat of the American peoples. These politicians plunder our accounts, steal our homes, corrupt our children, and hold hostage our natural resources. And as this election looms they promise even more.

There are clear limits to the powers of government, yet many do not seem to know what they are. It is simple. The power of the government is given it by the people. A person cannot grant to the government powers the individual himself does not possess.

We have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We have the God given right to defend ourselves, our family and our property, as does our neighbor. My neighbors and I can agree to hire someone (such as a policeman) and grant to him the same powers we have, which is to protect our life, the life of our family and our property. We grant these powers so we can work or do things other than having to spend all of our time defending that which is rightfully ours.

We cannot grant this policeman (or any other government official) the right to take from our neighbor what is not ours. If our neighbor has two cars and we have none, our neighbor is not required to loan or give us his second car, nor can he be forced by law to do so.

If every person has the right to defend - even by force - his person, his liberty, and his property, then it follows that a group of men have the right to organize and support a common force to protect these rights constantly. Thus, the principle of collective right - its reason for existing, its lawfulness - is based on individual right. (The Law, p.6, by Frederic Bastiat)

This also applies to health care and most other “entitlement” programs such as welfare. Should we go to our neighbors with our hospital bills and demand they pay a portion of it, they most certainly are well within their rights to say “no.” Were we to go to our neighbors and demand from them a portion of their cupboard, they are well within their rights to say “no.” There is no legal requirement to do so (we do not speak here of morals and ethics as that is a separate issue).

Because we do not possess the right to make these demands of our neighbors, we do not possess the power to give this authority to the government.

When a portion of wealth is transferred from the person who owns it- without his consent and without compensation, and whether by force or by fraud- to anyone who does not own it, then I say that property is violated; that an act of plunder is committed…

How is legal plunder to be identified? Quite simply. See if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them, and gives it to other persons to whom it does not belong. See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime… (The Law, p. 21, 26. Bastiat)

The Alabama Constitution sums it up well: “That the sole object and only legitimate end of government is to protect the citizen in the enjoyment of life, liberty, and property, and when the government assumes other functions it is usurpation and oppression.” (Article I, section 35).

As the election draws nigh I advise all Americans to exercise extreme caution before supporting any proposed government program. Instead put your energy and focus on finding candidates that shall put the government back in its place.

Should a candidate suggest the federal government do what a community, city, or state is capable of doing, know he has crossed the line of authority or lacks understanding of the basic fundamental structure of our country. Run from him. Run far. Run fast. But first expose him, for surely this power seeker knows the smaller the government and the closer to the people it is, the easier it is to guide it, control it, hold it responsible, correct it, while maintaining our individual liberties. Remind them that it was the people of the states of this republic that created the federal government. The federal government did not create the people or the states.

No one in our government has the authority to grant powers and programs such as welfare or any other plan for redistributing wealth. There is no authority to force our neighbor to pay for those whom will not or cannot provide for themselves, or to force the wealthy to be generous with their riches.

How cruel and heartless this must sound to those asking “What about the sick, elderly, and impoverished? I say to you that countries using government to meet the needs have, in the long run, created more misery and poverty, while simultaneously stripping away even more individual freedoms. And the immediate results of such government action have been mediocre at best.

Too long we have permitted our government to create its own power, power not granted by the people. The government is quickly becoming the master and we her slaves.

Our nation now teeters on the critical precipice of socialism. Our politicians are openly declaring that they will take more of our hard earned money as they continue to waste what they have already taken. They openly state their craving to control private industry. They refuse to allow us our self-sufficiency as a nation and as individuals-forcing us to be held hostage by not only our own government but foreign governments as well.

Some hopeful leaders are now traveling the world seeking favor with other nations, while belittling our own – saying things and making promises they have no power to keep.

I say to you, the American people, it is time. It is time to take back our country. It is time to cast these vermin from their seats of power.

If we wish to preserve our God given rights and freedoms we must fight! We must prove our strength and unity as a nation and we must do so now. It is time for all knowledgeable Americans to help those that have been deceived or are misinformed learn the truth. We who know of the evils of socialism, marxism, and communism must stand and speak out. No longer can we afford to compromise our principles or surrender our standards. It is time to band together and accomplish the objective of less government and individual responsibility. What is the alternative but to become slave to an insatiable machine- to live and die in a place where there is no individual and no god greater than the government; A place where one lives, works, and dies for the greater good. To this I say “Give me liberty or give me death!”