March 27, 2013

Progressives Paint An Illusion

By Tammy Derouin

The apology tour continues in the school curriculum.  My daughter read a statement followed by a question that was part of her homework.  I became just a little unglued when she began to read me her response.  The statement included information about the amount of money that is spent on American children compared to an eastern country.  The question was, do American children have too much?  As she began to read her answer, I could feel the anger stirring in the pit of my stomach.  She didn’t understand why I was upset.   

The answer she began to read was exactly what the progressives want her to think. She stated, in her original answer, that American children have too much.  I began a lesson in American History. Americans do not have too much. Generations of Americans have worked hard to make America a very successful country.  Taking from the haves and giving to the have-nots doesn’t solve the problem.  It makes it worse.  Those who have become successful used to be the example to follow.  In today’s world they are seen as evil and greedy.  There is a growing mentality that successful people don’t deserve everything they’ve earned.  This is very dangerous thinking.

Americans should never apologize for what they have accomplished. Success yields rewards.  Financial success is usually a product of hard work and determination.  We live in, or should I say lived in, the world’s most prosperous nation.  When you compare the age of our country, 237 years, to the age of other countries, we are very young.   It’s absolutely amazing how many improvements and advancements have occurred during our nation’s short history.  We didn’t achieve this lifestyle by sitting on the couch waiting for a government check to arrive.   We are, or were a nation of determination.  We didn’t sit on the sidelines waiting for someone else to fix the problem, especially the government. We are a nation of ingenuity which breeds invention and innovation. Why have so many of the world’s greatest minds come to the United States?  It wasn’t for hand-outs.  It was because the United States provided a unique opportunity.  It’s what made the United States exceptional.  

By nature, we compete.  We want to do better. We want to improve.  As humans we are never satisfied.  Progressives feel they can satisfy everyone’s needs by providing everything for everyone. Everybody gets the same regardless of skill or ability.  You can’t regulate happiness.  They are however, doing their best to regulate life and liberty.  Oppressive governments paint pictures of gray for everyone.  Everyone is expected to be satisfied because everyone has been subsidized with the same tools and benefits.  The hope for so many people who came to the United States was the opportunity to succeed.  They weren’t promised success.  It was up to their ability and chance.   Social safety nets didn’t exist.  They were motivated to succeed because they needed to survive.  Even though success wasn’t a guarantee, they still came.  They saw America as the land of opportunity.  They could push their limits and try new ideas.  They were free to succeed or fail.

Our Constitution gives everyone the opportunity to paint as many individual colorful pictures as you desire.  You have to be willing to obtain your own canvas and paint brushes.  It’s not the government’s responsibility to provide you with your painting supplies.  The amount of painting you do is up to your individual talents and determination.  Socialism and communism limit an individual’s aspiration.  Everyone is given a canvas, brushes and a palette of gray.  Everyone’s picture captures the same bleak future.  If the government provides all the tools, where’s the excitement and adventure?  Where’s the incentive to improve?  There is no longer a will to paint as much as you can because no matter how much you paint, it all looks the same. 

I want my daughters to understand the evils of socialism and communism. I want them to be able to identify a lie when it’s being told to them.  Progressives paint an illusion.  At first glance it may look pretty but without substance, without freedom, color doesn’t exist.  A nation that was once bright and vibrant now looks as bleak as the rest of the world.  We can be equally miserable with the same government issued canvas, palette and gray paint or we can demand our elected servants follow the Constitution.  Without the Constitution and Bill of Rights, we have no future; we have no color in our lives.

“The [U.S.] Constitution is a limitation on the government, not on private individuals…it does not prescribe the conduct of private individuals, only the conduct of the government…it is not a charter for the government power, but a charter of the citizen’s protection against the government.”

Ayn Rand