Something to Think About

Many years ago, when I was but a wet-behind-the-ears 15 year old high school student, life was much simpler and moved at a slower pace. This was long before the advent of personal computers, let alone the cell phones, ipods, mp3s, and all the other FREDs* that now supposedly make our lives easier and better. At that time I remember coming up with what I thought was a basic premise of civilized life, to wit: The greater our population becomes, the more complicated life becomes, the more the government will intervene in our daily lives and reduce our personal liberty.

This, of course, has happened. Sometimes it has been for the better, but most times it has been for the worse. If you, like me, want as much personal freedom and liberty with the least amount of government intervention in your private and business life, this trend is more than worrisome. The United States of America has changed, and is continuing to change, into something the Founding Fathers would not recognize and for which they fought to be free of.

With that in mind, I will give you some quotes from some of the very intelligent, well-read, and educated people who gave us this once great nation, which is now sliding down the slippery slope of "equality of outcome", national security, and corporate greed, into a swamp of over-regulation, loss of inalienable rights, and fascism.

"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." Benjamin Franklin

"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent." Thomas Jefferson

"I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." James Madison

"How soon we forget history... Government is not reason. Government is not eloquence. It is force. And, like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." George Washington

"A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government." Thomas Jefferson

"Fear is the foundation of most governments." John Adams

"Because power corrupts, society's demands for moral authority and character increase as the importance of the position increases." John Adams

"The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them." Patrick Henry

"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." Thomas Jefferson

"The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." Thomas Jefferson
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* "FRED", a definition: F#%king Ridiculous Electronic Device.