- Politicians love to tell us how special
America is. But what is it that's special?
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- It can't be the scenery - the "purple
mountain majesties" or "thy rocks and rills." Dozens of
countries have beautiful scenery.
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- It can't be the people. Citizens of other
countries can be just as generous, courteous, fun-loving, or anything you
might want.
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- It can't be bravery. People have fought
and died for their countries since the beginning of history.
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- And yet, there most certainly is - or
was - something singular about America. What was it?
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- In my view, America's uniqueness rested
on three pillars.
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- 1. The Bill of Rights
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- The first is the concept that government
is limited to a few specific, clearly defined functions. The Bill of Rights
makes this clear. The Ninth and 10th Amendments specify that the federal
government may not do anything that isn't spelled out in the Constitution.
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- And to drive that home, the Bill of Rights
specifically guarantees your freedom to speak, worship, write, assemble,
protest, or protect yourself. There are no exceptions allowed ñ
even when the politicians claim to have a "compelling interest"
in limiting your liberty.
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- Before America, no country was ever governed
by such a document. It put government in a small, confined compartment.
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- 2. Voluntary Association
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- The Bill of Rights frees you to engage
in any kind of activity you want with consenting adults, provided you don't
forcibly impose upon the person or property of others.
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- Mark Skousen has said, "The triumph
of persuasion over force is the sign of a civilized society."
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- The American way was for commerce, personal
relationships, and religion to be voluntary. No one was forced to participate
in something he didn't want.
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- So an individual could better his life
- not by appealing to government force, but by offering other people incentives
to do business with him.
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- Civilization reached a new high by the
maximum reliance on voluntary persuasion and the minimum reliance on government
coercion.
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- 3. The Free Market
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- Voluntary association produces the free
market - where each person can choose among a multitude of possibilities.
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- The free market empowers the most effective
regulator in the world - you.
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- You don't have to deal with a company
you don't like. You don't have to buy something if you don't want it -
or if the price is too high - or if you aren't sure the product is safe.
The seller must satisfy you that he has what you want at a price you're
willing to pay.
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- With tens of millions of individual regulators
like you, companies are pressured to provide what people want and need
in the real world - not what bureaucrats think would be best in a utopian
world. In the free market, you are the king because you aren't forced to
buy anything you don't want.
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- The free market brought us the greatest
prosperity the world has ever known - the easiest road to escape from poverty,
the widest distribution of goods and services, the wealth that permits
lavish generosity.
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- What Is America today?
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- Unfortunately, all three pillars of that
unique America have been torn down.
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- The Bill of Rights is now overruled by
nine judges and ignored daily by politicians and bureaucrats.
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- Voluntary association has been replaced
by the government's forcible imposition of discrimination laws, monopoly
suppliers and subsidies financed with money confiscated from you.
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- You've been replaced as the regulator
of the free market by people like Teddy Kennedy and George Bush. Now companies
have to please Washington before they can even think about pleasing you.
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- The Revolution Is Over
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- Those who say we could lose America are
looking in the wrong direction. We've already lost it.
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- Those who think immigrants will change
America overlook the changes already in place. Our government, taxes and
ideas of freedom are already duplicates of the Old World. Our politicians
determine how we should live our lives - and our individual liberties are
sacrificed for the benefit of the Fatherland. What is unique that's left
to lose?
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- Those who fear a "loss of American
sovereignty" to international agencies don't realize how little such
agencies could bring about that we don't already have. Are they afraid
someone will impose coercive health-care regulation on us? Or government
schooling? Or regulations dictating the size of your toilet? What could
happen that our own government hasn't already done?
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- What To Do
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- If you devote yourself to fighting against
the latest political proposal, you may be wasting your time.
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- The growth of government is inevitable
because the major issue has already been decided: there is no longer an
America of tiny government, voluntary association, and the free market.
So the only arguments now are over how the politicians will run our lives
ñ the Republican way or the Democratic way.
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- Our one hope is to persuade our fellow
Americans that a return to the Bill of Rights could bring us much smaller
government, much greater personal income, access to more low-cost products
and services and the freedom to live your own life as you think best ñ
not as the president or Congress wants.
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- Every battle is trivial compared to the
fight to restore that unique America. ___
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- Harry Browne, Libertarian presidential
candidate in the 2000 election, is the director of public policy at the
American Liberty Foundation. More of his articles can be read at HarryBrowne.org,
and his books are available at HBBooks.com.
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