Are we losing site of the principles on which this country was found?
The principles upon which this country was found include but are not limited to courage, equality and fairness not to mention religious freedom. Religious freedom was a driving force for which many individuals with their families came from their countries to start a new life in a new country.
As a country the above principles and the environment in which we now find ourselves as a country the principles identified above seem to have lost their way given the expansion of government and the laws and regulations which seem to be ever increasing. While some of us as individuals may exhibit some of these traits they seem to have become lost in the culture now existent in our federal government and some of our state governments.
The freedoms we enjoy today were the result of thousands of individuals who fought from the beginning of our country up to and including the conflicts/wars we found ourselves in this century and centuries past. As those who defended our country and defends it today exhibit the courage to stand up to fight for our right to exist as a country we should be forever grateful.
The principle of equality as defined in the oxford dictionary is “The state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities” This term has taken on new meaning given the actions of not only government organizations including both federal and state. Equality should not be about taking from one individual and giving to another. We as individuals have certain rights granted to us in the Constitution and the words in the Declaration of Independence could not have stated it any better. The words “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness “
The words in the previous paragraph have come to represent a moral standard to which the United States should strive. Abraham Lincoln felt these words to be the foundation of his political philosophy and stated these are the words by which the Constitution should be interpreted. Our Constitution is the law of the land and is constantly being interpreted through our courts. Many individuals and sometimes groups have their own interpretations and fight to have their opinions to be the law of the land.
Many laws, rules and regulations are evaluated by our justice system some of which have been decided to be a violation of the Constitution as written while others not so much. Our justice system is comprised of individuals who make decisions on the laws of state and federal governments according to applicable state and federal constitutions. The words engrained in the Declaration of Independence which was provided above should be the basis for interpreting any law written.
Our judicial system needs to stop interpreting what it feels was the intent of our Constitution which is sometimes pointed to political philosophy rather than the words as written the Constitution. Political philosophy has no place in court decisions unless it is in agreement with the language of our Constitution. The principles of courage, equality, fairness, religious freedom and the others contained in the Bill of Rights need to be protected as was the intent when the Constitution was written. This article is not meant to be a slam on our judicial system as there are many fine individuals within the justice system it is those individuals who make decisions against actions which have been accepted in some cases from the beginning of our country. We have restrictions on our right to express our religious beliefs which is totally against our Constitution.
We as a country seem to be losing the courage we once had given the current troubles around the world. We have been a beacon for other countries but that beacon seems to be fading given the current problems in the world. Our allies around the world seem to be questioning our resolve to follow through with our actions. We had the courage and tenacity in the past to finish what we started but this too seems to be fading in the wind. The principles upon which this country was found and the rights we have under the Constitution should not be fading away. Let us hope there are enough individuals who will be elected this year and in years to come to return to these principles. We are a great country even with our problems but we can be greater if we go back to the principles on which this country began.