“If the American Constitution shall fail there will be anarchy throughout the world.”
Daniel Webster
The framers of our constitution, a diverse lot representing thirteen varied constituencies, were unified in their goals to establish a national government with limited powers and which had to operate within the law. The document which emerged from Philadelphia in 1789, was admittedly not the best those visionaries could devise, but fashioned to be salable to their respective states which held the ultimately ratification responsibilities.
In the end, however, it took the energies and commitment of James Madison to fashion a Bill of Rights, further restricting federal interference in the lives of Americans before the constitution had any meaningful hope of passage. Another seventy 75 years passed before the Fourteenth Amendment extended those projections to the state level.
Since then, the Executive and Legislative branches of our federal and state governments have engaged in a deliberate and unrelenting campaign, broadening their powers at the expense of the citizens whom they represented and often in contradiction to the constitution they swore to “protect and defend”. Fortunately, the Judiciary periodically took bold steps to protect threatened or abrogated rights. Yet, while recent landmark decisions from Brown v. Board of Education to recent rulings protecting the rights of property owners have reversed some egregious governmental injustices, the Courts have also been willing accomplices in upholding other statutes which repudiate basic freedoms to which all citizens are entitled.
Since the reconstruction Amendments, the Republican and Democratic parties have held a virtual monopoly over the American political landscape. In a cabal, which in the business world would have landed its participants in prison for assorted anti-trust or monopolistic practices, these two parties have conspired to perpetuate their own existence while denying reasonable ballot access and political participation to third-party and independent candidates.
Their legacy, an elite, political oligarchy, immune from the laws and regulations it mandates. Recent legislation to reverse this trend vividly illustrates another governmental injustice, passing “feel-good” legislation with no teeth or which ultimately costs the taxpayers. Congressman Sweet’s bill to require members of Congress to obey EEOC, OSHA and other federal regulations, or else … compels “we the people”, not the offending politician, to pay all fines.
Republicans and Democrats have presided over an erosion of personal freedoms; the growth of bureaucracies, including the IRS and EPA, able to operate above the law; a national deficit approaching $5 trillion; a succession of failed social programs routinely costing billions more than advertised while frequently falling far short of their intended objectives; tax policies robbing individuals of roughly 46% of their earnings; an unaccountable educational system into which increasing billions are poured while student performance continues to plummet; escalating crime rates together with a prison system bulging with more than one million inmates, despite both parties being “tough on crime”; and an electorial process where the perks of incumbency and millions of dollars from special interest groups make it nearly impossible for average citizens to aspire to higher elective office.
The time has come when change is necessary if America and its constitutional system of representative democracy is to survive.
The Republicans, who bill themselves as the protectors of the taxpayers wallet, rarely see a weapons program they don’t like, often pursue a narrow social agendas promoting conservative religious ideals, advocate restrictions on what Americans can read and view, and spend an inordinate amount of time pontificating about the perpetrators of victimless crimes … are not the answer!
Their Democratic antagonists, self-proclaimed champions of personal liberties, live in a never-never-land of economic misconceptions, lack an understanding of business and free markets, believe they can spend their way out of any problem, would sacrifice free speech on the alter of political correctness, and mistakenly assume people are incapable of taking care of themselves and thus require a paternalistic government to regulate their lives … are not the answer!
Fortunately, there are other choices …
In New Hampshire, the Libertarian and Natural Law parties both have candidates on the ballot. While the transcendental meditation solutions of the Natural Law Party remain untested … the Libertarians have become an articulate voice for those who believe their government is too large, too intrusive, too costly and remarkably inefficient! Their platform rests on the assumption, in a free society, individuals must be permitted to make their own choices, so longs as such actions do not infringe on the rights of others, and then be held accountable for their deeds and responsible for living with the consequences of their choices.
Unlike their major party counterparts, most Libertarians subscribe to a consistent set of underlying values … including free markets, fiscal restraint, educational and reproductive choice, and a relatively literal interpretation of the Bill of Rights. They understand democracy is, by nature unwieldy and frequently inefficient … but recognize when order becomes a societal objective, individual liberties are in imminent danger.
If a smaller, less intrusive and less costly government and the concepts of individual choice, accountability, and personal responsibility are reasonable objectives, a vote for Libertarian candidates can be your most effective voice in demanding change. Remember, Ross Perot didn’t win … but his message was heard!
