Pillar I, Part II--What are American Values?
In Pillar I, Part I, we covered the legal framework and protections our Founders created for the federal government.
In this section, we will discuss the values that made the USA the greatest country in history.
A successful society must have laws, but it also must have a set of values that the community commands on its neighbors. This is one of the reasons why blue states have become the one-way out exporters of millions of Americans.
The greatest pressure for citizens to do the right thing is not passing laws, it is peer pressure. A group of men can straighten out a situation better than any law.
Value 1-Opportunity for all based on the value you offer the marketplace.
In a free enterprise system, there is unlimited opportunity. You will go as far as you are willing to offer value to the marketplace. There is no limit in this system, other than your dreams and efforts.
Value 2-Government should protect opportunity for all.
There are very very few things that government should be involved in. And for good reason. One of these areas is to protect opportunity for all. The Declaration of Independence references our right to pursue happiness and the only way we have unlimited opportunity is to have equality of opportunity.
Government was created to be an arbitrator, not a creator. The line in the sand is when government tries to create outcomes.
One example of this is land use.
I have served as on a local Zoning Commission and the knowledge I gained could never be learned in a classroom nor read in a book. This is one area where government has a role.
Land use is a challenging field because it is generally more of an art than a science. It is not always clear where to draw the lines when one property owner wants to use their property and that impedes on a neighboring property.
We have property rights, but those rights have limits. Government here has to balance the rights at times of two competing interests.
Value 3-People should choose what is best for them, based upon their needs and wants.
In a free society, we have to choose what is best for us based on what we need and want. We have a different appreciation when the money is ours and from the fruits of our efforts. We know the most efficient use of money is when a person earns it and they spend it. You treat your money differently than you treat other people’s money.
The line in the sand is when someone decides they make decisions for others than said individuals can.
Value 4-We have the right to be secure in our person, in our home, on our property, and have a right to defend all of these.
A free society requires the right to obtain property and government actions that protect those rights.
Value 5-We are all different and unique. We have the right to be who we are, do what we do, provided we are not harming others.
The First Amendment explicitly protects freedom of religion. While our Founders supported Christianity and Christian values, they explicitly protected the right not to be a Christian. This is the principle of: you do you.
Vivek Ramaswamy has become one of the future stars in our movement. He espouses Christian values better than many Christians, despite him not being a Christian.
We will not all worship the same God, but we do have an understanding of our right to worship differently.
You do not like guns, do not own one. You do not like meat, do not eat it.
Value 6-Government has limited roles in our lives. We are best equipped to resolve our own problems.
As we have seen recently with Hurricane Helene, individuals at the local level are best equipped to handle their own problems. They know the area, the community, the people, and the culture.
Government is by nature inefficient. They cannot effectively use resources like a group of individuals can. We produce the best outcomes when the people making decisions have to live under the consequences of choices.
Private entities, funded privately do a far better job of assisting in natural disasters and addressing our societal problems than government ever can. Compare the Samaritans Purse to FEMA.
Value 7-The government must set clearly defined standards and enforce them equally.
Here is another area that government has a role in our lives. A successful, civilized society, has clearly defined standards of acceptable behavior and enforces these norms and laws.
We must have laws against murder, theft, violence, and the like. This is an easy one. We must also have certain norms enforced, which are best handled by communities. Some standards are best handled by peer pressure. Sometimes a group of men having a chat in private can set someone straight far better than a jail cell.
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