Freedom's Address

[rhartford]

These brief thoughts are designed to prepare the reader for evaluating use and misuse of political terms during the inaugural ceremonies and beyond. Please send the paper, or a link, to anyone who may be interested in, or benefit from, the ideas presented.

The link is: www.objectivistliving.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=6449

Freedom’s Address

Seven score and four years ago, in the impassioned and memorable words of his second inaugural address, Abraham Lincoln said, “Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away.” Weeks later his fond hope was realized. The war ended. The Union and Confederacy again became one nation, and along the long road to the ideal of political freedom begun in 1776 a milestone was reached. Freedom was formally extended to millions.

Traveling the road to political freedom continued. Suffrage was extended and the dehumanizing era of segregation ended. Cultural advances accompanied each new step toward freedom. The bigotry of racism declined. Benevolent toleration of individual choice grew.

Today, however, we again find political freedom under threat. Involuntary servitude is returning, not by lash and shackles, but by taxes, by government control of parts of the economy, by government borrowing, by government guaranteed loans, by government unfunded liabilities totaling trillions of dollars, and by government inflation of the money supply.

Because “The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies” selected “A New Birth of Freedom” as this year’s inaugural theme, we have a unique opportunity to focus the attention of the nation and the world on the meaning of political freedom, on current threats to political freedom, and on advocacy and action to advance political freedom. Political freedom, the unifying ideological principle on which this nation was founded, means protection of each individual’s time, effort, and property from being taken without that individual’s voluntary consent.

Unfortunately the two political parties have united in bipartisan support of an ideology opposed to political freedom. Rather than “A New Birth of Freedom” we are experiencing descent into the darkness of involuntary servitude. We are truly in the midst of the economic equivalent of “A New Birth of Slavery.”

We must expose the ideology of opponents of freedom. While disparaging competing ideologies, they use the ideology and dogma of pragmatism, of “what works,” and they implicitly and arrogantly proclaim that their “noble ends justify the means of using government coercion against defenseless citizens.” They dishonor the founding philosophy of individual political freedom and try to enforce their ideology of service through government edicts. In the spirit of ’76, we the people must reject this abuse of our rights.

We must expect opponents of freedom to distort the meaning of important political concepts. Political freedom may be redefined to mean “freedom” to have and use subsidized “green” products from subsidized businesses, or to mean “freedom” from concern for providing one’s own health care. Political equality may be redefined to mean that those of high productive ability must be required to serve those businesses and individuals whose productivity can’t meet their own needs. The income tax system may be redefined, not to raise revenue to protect our rights, but to take our money and give it to those who pay no income tax at all. Some people may receive refunds of part of their Social Security and Medicare “insurance” payroll taxes without any reduction of their benefits, redefining retirement “insurance” programs as welfare programs. All these are audacious changes that would require those of ability to serve others. History, logic, current events, and morality show that when those of ability are forced to serve those in need, ability silently erodes and needs noisily escalate.

In 1776 we had taxation without representation. Today, representatives use taxation to support politically favored businesses, organizations, families, and individuals at our expense. We must not let distorted notions of “freedom,” “equality,” and “taxation” threaten our right to pursue our own lives, well-being, and happiness. Taking political freedom away in the name of “freedom” makes a mockery of language and logic, and undermines the foundation on which our nation is built.

Echoing the words of Abraham Lincoln, we must here highly resolve that this nation will have a new birth of political freedom. Each individual citizen must be free to pursue dreams, neither demanding support from others nor being forced to support the needs and dreams of others. Some of us attribute a religious meaning to prayer and some of us consider prayer an expression of a passionate hope, but we can all unite with Lincoln in prayer’s essential meaning. We can all fervently pray that involuntary servitude ends.

In the decades before the American Civil War, abolitionists prepared the moral ground for the end of slavery. In 1860, anti-slavery Democrats and anti-slavery Whigs bolted their political parties, and propelled the Republican Party candidate, Abraham Lincoln, to the presidency.

In recent decades, friends of freedom have prepared the moral ground for Liberty, for protection of individual voluntary consent, and for prohibition of involuntary servitude to fellow citizens. The time may be near when pro-freedom advocates on the left and on the right will join political forces, bolt the two-party system, oppose the ideology of collective servitude, establish a political party based on social individualism, and elect those with a pro-freedom passion and commitment.

We must resoundingly reject a culture of social collectivism and a government that greedily and arrogantly takes the time, effort, or property of some to satisfy the needs of others. We must eagerly embrace and proudly promote a culture of social individualism, a society that respects and honors individual choice in pursuit of material and spiritual values. Let us be audacious enough to hope that freedom’s principal address will remain in the United States of America. Let us achieve political protection for our birthright of freedom. Let us ensure protection of each citizen’s right to seek to flourish. Let us dedicate ourselves to a new dawn of freedom.

Edited January 13, 2009 by Robert Hartford