God gave us Free Will. It is through government interference that others seek to take that away. It is no accident that Karl Marx sought to remove God from the people. Karl Marx said that all religion must be subjugated, and referred to religion as the “opium of the masses.” In the end, liberalism must rely on people taking the word of their government benefactors over the word of our God.

God given rights include, in the words of our founders, the rights to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of happiness. The fact the we derive, or receive, these rights from God is very important. If we do not receive these rights from God, where do they come from?

A Liberal Atheist might say that our rights come from the government. But if that is so, then what is to stop the government from taking them away? Does the ex-patriot without a country have no rights? Did the Jews in Germany stop having any rights to their lives because the National Socialist government decided to take them away?

A Conservative Atheist might say that our rights are self derived, or that they are self evident. But if that is so, then do the mentally deranged have any rights? Does the person who wishes to kill himself give up his Right to Life? Does someone with Multiple Personality Disorder with one depressed personality give up the right to Pursue happiness for the other personalities? What if they change their minds?

The first Right guaranteed by God is the Right to Life. This should include the unborn, as well as the elderly. This also is not a blanket refusal of the death penalty. I said that governments take our rights away. If you deprive another of their rights, then you should lose yours. This also does not obligate anyone else to do anything to extend your right to life. To advocate this would lead to an abrogation of the Right to Liberty.

The Right to Liberty includes the right to live your life as you see fit. Thus, if you choose to work 20 hours a day, seven days a week in pursuit of money, then you have that right. If you choose instead to live the life of the urban outdoorsman, then you may also do that. This does not obligate anyone else to aid you, however. Seeking someone else’s aid through government intervention and force is a refusal to recognize their rights to liberty.

Notice, in the listing of our rights, I did not capitalize the word happiness, but instead chose to Capitalize Pursuit. This is an important distinction. We are given the right to TRY to be happy, through whatever means we wish to employ, so long as that pursuit does not infringe on the rights of others. Whether or not we succeed is entirely left up to us. If we were afforded the right to BE happy, the drug war would probably look a lot different, and these guys would be kings!

The government encroaches on these rights through the only means available to it. Force. Any other means are simply an attempt to disguise the use of force. Why do you pay taxes? To do your patriotic duty? No! So that men in black suits with black rifles won’t come pounding down your door, throw you to the ground, and put you in jail for a long time! Why do you put on a helmet whenever you drive a motorcycle? To have really cool hair when you take it off? No!  So that men in blue suits with black guns won’t stop you and threaten to come pounding down your door, throw you to the ground, and put you in jail for a long time if you don’t give them money!

By contrast, think of it this way. Why do you pay your telephone bill? To stop guys in black suits from pointing guns at you? No! So that you can continue to use your telephone to call those nice ladies with the 900 numbers. Why do you buy stuff at Wal-Mart? To stop guys in black suits from pointing guns at you? No! So that you can continue to get your daily allowance of lead from those nice people in China really cheap.

God gave us Free Will. It is through government interference that others seek to take that away. It no accident that Karl Marx sought to remove God from the people. Karl Marx said that all religion must be subjugated, and referred to religion as the “opium of the masses.” In the end, liberalism must rely on people taking the word of their government benefactors over the word of our God.

2.    I believe in America, the Home of the Free, and the Land of the Brave.

We live in the Greatest Nation on Earth. This Country has repeatedly sent our people out to fight against oppression, against tyranny, in order to promote freedom. We have led the world in one endeavor after another. In just 200 short years we have become the greatest, most powerful, richest nation on the planet. Unless I missed the CNN story, people are not swimming to Communist Cuba in order to get away from the “injustices” of the United States.

3.    I believe in the good in people.

Some have said that the difference between Conservatives and Liberals is that Conservatives are pessimists, and believe that all people are evil at heart, while Liberals believe that everyone is good at heart. I disagree. I believe that people are inherently good. There are some who turn away from this goodness, and therefore away from God, in order to do evil in the world.

The armed forces of the United States of America are the best in the world. Our all volunteer services are manned by those who are dedicated to their jobs and believe in what they do. They serve all of us by supporting and defending the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Most of them take this oath very seriously. Without those who would voluntarily go into this service, the United States would cease to be the free country that it is. For that matter, so would much of the rest of the world.

6.    I believe in lower taxes because high taxes mean Slavery to the State.

The government does not produce. It only redistributes. In order to do this, it must take from some in order to give to others. When the government does so through the use of excessive or progressive tax rates it is seeking to force one person to work for the benefit of another. In any other situation this would be illegal, but we allow our government to do it “for the good of society.” WE are society. The people who this benefits are the political class. In order to truly allow people to be free the collection of funds for the operation of the government would be voluntary, or nearly so. This is why I am a fan of the FairTax ©.

The Free Market, unfettered by government interference has the ability to raise the lifestyles of everyone in the community. It is one of the greatest inventions of the human mind, and yet it is as natural as carbon dioxide. Whenever people get together, someone will have something that someone else wants. Through the Free Market, they are able to negotiate the exchange in a manner and for a means that benefits both. The Free Market is largely self correcting. If one business is doing something that harms others, then they will rather quickly lose business. (Think of the Taco Bell meat scare of a few years ago.)