The Hard Core of Freedom

While doing some internet research (for a discussion on Facebook, no less), I stumbled across this article from the Daily Oklahoman published on December 9, 1951. I felt it was worth passing along. However, the citation of one quote in the article to Alexander Tytler (1747-1813) cannot be verified.

This is the Hard Core of Freedom
By ELMER T. PETERSON

A card without identification came along with a letter to this desk a few days ago. It read:

“There is no end to the good a man can do if he does not care who gets the credit."

This sentiment has a vital drive when applied to human relations, but if you will follow it to its logical conclusion in the field of government, you will find that it constitutes the inner essence of free democracy as well. A civic leader once said to the writer, about 25 years ago:

"If a man goes into civic work because he expects to get credit for it, or political profit, or anything else of material value, he should quit before it gets too late, because he is practically sure to be disappointed and disillusioned. If he doesn't get a real thrill out of doing good in the world, sufficient to pay him, he has missed the point of all civic activity."

Friendship and love of parents for children are the first and most primitive evidences of the Christian doctrine, "love thy neighbor," and the corollary is the Golden Rule. This corollary clearly points the two-way nature of the original doctrine and it helps human beings to understand why helpfulness can bring reciprocal benefit to the doer of good deeds, even though the doer does not demand or even expect such benefit.

Out of the mutual nature of neighborliness comes the pure meaning of free democracy. Cooperation, in its best sense, as suggested in this column a week ago, cannot be compulsory. The moment it is made into a compulsory mechanism, it loses its true meaning and becomes a form of despotism—a totalitarian socialism, in which public welfare is produced by force and not by operation of conscience.

The difference between free democracy and socialism is that free democracy carries over into the field of government the voluntary will do good by free choice, where as socialism leaves the citizen no choice. He helps his neighbor—or else!

The best member of free democracy is one who doesn't care who gets the credit for good deeds. He gets all the pay he needs out of his conscience—the inner satisfaction of knowing that "he has done what he could."

It is becoming more and more obvious every day that the mere form of democracy is not what brings blessed government. It is the substance that counts. That substance consists of the sum of individual consciences, working for the mutual good of all. A form of democracy can be just as corrupt as the worst kind of despotism if the members of that formal democracy are actuated only by selfishness and the determination to get all possible money out of the government" or Neighbor Taxpayer.

Two centuries ago a somewhat obscure Scotsman named Tytler made this profound observation:

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the majority discovers it can vote itself largess out of the public treasury. After that, the majority always voles for the candidate promising the most benefits with the result the democracy collapses because of the loose fiscal policy ensuing, always to be followed by a dictatorship, then a monarchy."

This ought to be a warning sign, of the times, for never before in this nation has there been such temptation to use the formal mechanism of democracy as a means for gratifying the selfish designs of the individual citizen. This applies not only to the corrupt high official who sells influence or conspires with crooks to steal money from the public. It applies, likewise, to the individual voter who seeks to profit personally by laying a heavier burden on his neighbor, through subsidies and other government gifts.

The hard core of freedom is the unselfish spirit of the citizen. Democracy cannot live long without this agency of conscience. Unselfish motivation in politics is much more than a gesture of good morality. It is a practical factor without which democracy cannot exist. In the long run nothing else will work.

Looking Up in Marion County, SC

In 2009, the average SAT score for students in Marion School District One in South Carolina increased by 150 points or 11.5%. But before we break into a round of high-fives, let’s have a closer look. This improvement managed to earn Marion County the rank of 36th in the state. South Carolina has 46 counties, and Marion is 36th. This stat lets a little bit of air out of the balloon, but at least we are improving. We don’t have that far to go, right? Well, first consider that nationwide, our state is almost DEAD LAST in SAT scores. That’s right – out of 50 states, South Carolina is number 49 - the bottom of the barrel. Our county is 36th in a state that is 49th. If Marion County were a NCAA Division 1A football team, we could be about on par with West Kentucky in the Sun Belt Conference. In other words, don’t expect many pro scouts to be hanging around.

On a unrelated (or related) note, there are six different ways that the Department of Labor calculates the unemployment rate. They are designated U-1 through U-6. In all six categories, South Carolina ranks no better than 46th in unemployment in the country. We aren’t exactly last in any category, but we are 48th in two and 49th in one. (Thank you, Michigan.) Can you guess where Marion County ranks in unemployment within the state? Drum roll… DEAD LAST! Marion County has the highest unemployment in a state that has the highest (almost) unemployment in the country. Of course, it’s been this way for 10 years –but what else is new?

These are just two facts about our state and county. I suppose that I could dig around to find some other interesting data on poverty, crime, government assistance, child support delinquencies and the like; but who likes to beat a man while he’s down?

The question is - are these two statistics somehow related? Could it be that businesses don’t want to come to Marion County because we are just a bunch of dummies? Well, that may be a larger part of their strategy than we’d like to believe. Despite our beautiful town, its many trees (at least the ones that Progress Energy hasn’t mutilated yet), rich historical heritage, abundant land, vacant real estate, decent infrastructure and apparently a large percentage of the population ready and willing to go to work – companies stay away from us like the plague. Why?

That's the question that we should be asking ourselves: “Why is this the case and how can we fix it?”  On the other hand, the question that we should be asking our students (and our idle workforce) is, “If you went to the store and bought three candy bars that cost $1 each, how much change should you expect back from a $5 bill if the sales tax rate is 10%?” If you don’t get an answer to the second question without the help of some electronic device, then perhaps you already have the answer to the first question.

Is Our Generation Relevant?

Is our generation relevant? Looking back over my life so far, I struggle to find any significant contributions or events that occurred during my lifetime that have truly shaped our country. It seems like all of the important stuff happened before I even got here. The Civil Rights Movement, World War II, the Great Depression, the American Civil War, and the American Revolution – all of these profoundly impacted this great nation that we call home. But what have we done lately?


One could argue that since I was born, in 1965, America has fought in Vietnam, Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq – and that these are certainly significant events. Actually, I was just a baby during the Vietnam War and have only vague memories of it – mostly towards the end of US involvement in the mid 70s. Not to diminish the huge sacrifices made and the service of our armed forces, these wars somehow paled in comparison to earlier wars in terms of how they impacted our nation's development or American life in general.


I'll admit that we have seen the fall of the Soviet Union, bringing an end to the Cold War - oh yeah, and men on the moon! What else, the Internet? I'm sorry, but I can't help but feel that my generation has lived on the spoils of those that came before us, all the while, doing little to earn or even preserve it. Or perhaps, our turn has yet to come.


Let me be totally honest with you. I started writing this article almost 8 months ago but set it aside because I didn't know where I was going with it. It was only today that I realized that I already know the answer. Until recently, our generation hasn't really been relevant all that much - but finally, the relevance of our generation is at hand. I believe that we are once again at a perilous juncture in our nation's history. Our system of government, and thus our cherished freedoms of which it was designed to protect, is under attack. But this time it's not England or Germany - it's a far more formidable enemy. And what's more shocking is that many of us are completely oblivious to this threat. That's because this enemy doesn't wear red coats or swastikas - they look just like you and me. They live right next door, go to your schools, work in your workplace, some you even call friends. Some don't even know themselves that they are soldiers in an army that is set on a path to destroy America.


The enemy is the Progressive. The Progressives think that government knows best and that more and more government is the solution to all problems. In all that you hear in this election year and certainly in 2012, there is one fundamental question that is the basis for most of the controversy between the parties. It is the question of Big Government vs. Limited Government. The Progressives want a big government, which is the complete antithesis of the founding principles of our country. A limited central government is the basic premise of the U.S. Constitution and is absolutely necessary to guarantee the protection of our liberties and freedoms.


When was the last time that you read the US Constitution? For most people the answer would be somewhere around the 10^th grade. I can remember having to memorize the Bill of Rights, a handful of dates, and the names of some people who had something to do with the whole thing. But, unfortunately, I can't say that I remembered much of it. I guess we all had different priorities back then. Now that I'm much older, I think that I would really appreciate most of those things now, if only they were not taught, memorized, and then soon forgotten. Maybe there should be some sort of a condensed high school refresher that everyone should take around age 30.


If you haven't read the Constitution as an adult, please read it here. In a nutshell, the document grants the federal government exactly 17 specific powers (called the enumerated powers) - no more, no less. All other powers are reserved for the states, except those expressly prohibited by the Constitution. This is by careful design to prevent the government from becoming too powerful, which is why we fought for our independence in the first place. Progressives fail to see the logic in this.


The Progressives sit on both sides of the fence (Democrat and Republican). In their defense, most Progressives honestly feel that there is a just and moral rationale to their cause. However, their policies and short-sighted "solutions" have steadily been growing our government and gradually eroding the basic underpinning that is uniquely American.


The challenge facing our generation is the restoration of this nation back to its founding principles and to renew our faith in God. This is our Iwo Jima, it's our Bunker Hill. For ours is no longer the lost generation, but the last generation. We are the re-founders!

"I hope to see our happy country restored to its former peace and happiness, and once more redeemed from tyranny and despotism, which, I fear, we are on the very brink of. We see the whole country in commotion: and for what? Because, gentlemen, the true friends of liberty see the laws and constitution blotted out from the heads and hearts of the people's leaders: and their requests for relief are treated with scorn and contempt. It has been decided by a majority of Congress that [the president] shall be the Government, and that his will shall be the law of the land. He takes the responsibility, and vetoes any bill that does not meet his approbation. He takes the responsibility and seizes the treasury, and removes it from where the laws had placed it; and now, holding purse and sword, has bid defiance to the Congress and to the nation."

- Congressman David (Davy) Crockett, 1834

 Below are a few links to some rather enlightening videos of Judge Andrew Napolitano discussing the role of the federal government. Please take the time to watch some of these.

Constitution For Dummies Part 1
Constitution For Dummies Part 2
Constitution For Dummies Part 3
Constitution For Dummies Part 4
The Patriot Act Part 1
The Patriot Act Part 2
The Patriot Act Part 3
The Patriot Act Q&A Part 1
The Patriot Act Q&A Part 2
Texas Secession