Fri May 18, 2012
Courtesy Congressman Ron Paul
Congressman Ron Paul
Preserving Our Liberty and Our Republic – A Message from Congressman Ron Paul
By Ron Paul, Congressman (TX) July 2009
Liberty is a revolutionary idea. For thousands of years the People lived in serfdom and servitude and they were ruled by kings and tyrants.
Two hundred and thirty-three years ago, our Founding Fathers drafted our Declaration of Independence and fought to make America the first modern nation that restrained the authority of government and protected Liberty.
The Founders knew full well that the concept of Liberty was fragile and could easily be undermined. They worried about the dangers that lay ahead that would pose significant challenges to its preservation.
Thomas Jefferson, concerned about the future wrote, “Yes, we did produce a near-perfect republic. But will they keep it? Or will they, in the enjoyment of plenty, loose the memory of freedom? Material abundance without character is the path of destruction.”
The, “They,” that he refers to are “us.” And the future is now. Freedom, Jefferson knew, would produce “plenty” and with “material abundance” it’ would be easy to forget the responsibility the citizens of a free society must assume if freedom and prosperity are to continue.
The key element to the Republic’s survival for Jefferson was the “character” of the people, something no set of laws can instill.
Indeed, our free society rests less on abundance and more on our character, respect for others, their liberty and their property. It is the character of the people that determines the proper role for government in a free society.
Samuel Adams, likewise, warned future generations. He referred to good “manners” as the vital ingredient a free society needs to survive. Adams said, “Neither the wisest Constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt.”
The message is clear, if we lose our love of liberty and our manners become corrupt, character is lost and so is the Republic.
But character is determined by free will and personal choice by each of us individually. Character can be restored or cast aside at a whim. The choice is ours alone and our leaders should show the way.
But as we enter a new century, there is a growing number of people who are as concerned as I am about our future and the pervasive corrupt influences that impact our government and affect every aspect of our lives – threatening our free society.
Some people say that to solve the problem all we have to do is write more detailed laws dealing with campaign finance reform. But what these people ignore is how more laws might undermine the principles of liberty.
Similarly, others argue what is needed is merely to place tighter restrictions on lobbyists in order to minimize their influence. But these people fail to recognize that this undermines our constitutional right to petition our government for redress of grievances.
And there are still others with equally good intentions who insist on writing even more laws and regulations punishing non-violent behavior in order to teach good manners and instill character. But they fail to see that tolerating non-violent behavior—even when stupid and dangerous to one’s own self—is the same as our freedom to express unpopular political and offensive ideas and to promote religion and to practice religion in any way one chooses.
Resorting to writing more laws with the intent of instilling “character” and good “manners” in the people is anathema to liberty. The love of liberty can come only from within and is dependent on a stable family and a society that seeks the brotherhood of man through voluntary and charitable means.
Indeed, those who believe that brotherhood and charity can come from government force in promoting fair economic redistribution are wrong. The proponents of this course have failed to read history and instead they are adhering to economic myths. They ignore the evidence that this effort to help their fellow man will inevitably fail. Instead, it will do the opposite and lead to the impoverishment of many more. But more importantly, if left unchecked this approach will destroy liberty by undermining the concept of private property ownership and free markets, the bedrock of economic prosperity.
None of these alternatives will work. Character and good manners are not a government problem. They reflect individual attitudes that can only be changed by individuals themselves.
Freedom allows virtue and excellence to blossom. When government takes on the role of promoting virtue, illegitimate government force is used and tyrants quickly appear on the scene to do the job. Virtue and excellence become illusive and we find instead that government officials become corrupt and freedom is lost—the very ingredient required for promoting virtue, harmony and the brotherhood of man.
Let’s hope and pray that our political focus will soon shift toward preserving liberty and individual responsibility and away from authoritarianism. The future of the American Republic depends on it. Let us not forget the American dream depends on keeping alive the spirit of liberty.
Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) is serving his eleventh term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Dr. Paul is an OB-GYN, a graduate of Duke Medical School and honorary chairman of the Campaign for Liberty. (www.CampaignforLiberty.com)
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