Earning Liberty : The Political Test

The freedom, protection, prosperity and peace that come with good government are not liberally available for the taking. Responsibilities are attached, and these responsibilities must be fulfilled in order to have the benefits. Every good thing comes with a price tag. The greater the benefit, the greater the duties connected to it.

The following questions assist each of us in measuring our personal efforts to preserve freedom. They provide a realistic evaluation of whether we are justified in our expectations of liberty through self-rule. The list is extensive and few could comply with all the enumerated responsibilities. Each of us, however, can fill some of the duties listed below.

●Are you resisting the erosion of freedoms taking place politically and economically in America?

 

●Do you promote and support wise men and women for public office?

 

●Do you study political issues, voting records, and proposed programs in order to vote wisely?

 

●Do you voice your opinion to your elected representatives on issues important to you?

 

●Are you wisely choosing a political party that matches your beliefs, supporting it at the local and state levels, and working within it to preserve freedom?

 

●Do you scrutinize local, state and federal bureaucracies to insure they are carrying out the will of the people?

 

●Do you attend your local city council meetings?

 

●Have you joined with responsible, like-minded citizens to promote inalienable rights of individuals and free competitive enterprise?

 

When the people elect their leaders, the people are also responsible for the decisions of their leaders. Citizens bear accountability for those in office, and are duty bound to remove their elected representatives if malpractice occurs in government.

 

Involved, educated citizens are the backbone of self rule. If we fail in our duties as members of a democratic republic, we bear the blame for its failure. It’s easy to blame everyone else—the legislature, the executive, the media. It’s harder to blame ourselves, yet we must be first to shoulder the blame for failures in government. If we do our job, the legislature will be comprised of honest individuals who abide by constitutional principles. If we do our job, we will vote out of office any executive who exceeds his constitutional authority. If we do our job, the media will succumb to the pressures of a people determined to be told the truth.

 

The buck stops here, with responsible citizens who do their duty to preserve a constitutional republic.

 

 

- Pam