Country is more Important

Sometimes we forget that a country is bigger than the sum of its people.  Such a simple principle provides us with an all-volunteer military force.  The desire for individual liberty binds all Americans together with the common goal of preserving the ideas etched in our founding documents. At least this should be the case. I believe this is what our founders wanted.  Furthermore, I believe this never-ending quest is what America is all about. Countless generations have gone before us without concerning themselves with the freedoms they enjoyed and instead focusing upon those they wished for their children. One thing I believe recent American history has proven is that focusing on the here-and-now has not served future generations well.  I am referring to voting, legislating, interpreting exist law, lead and finally follow.  Not until we remember that the preservation of our country is more important than any one generation’s needs, will we regain the level of economic and social liberty that once made America the beacon of freedom and prosperity the world over.
            Our military forces are amazing.  I don’t think anyone can disagree with that.  Whether you are a war-monger or a hippie, you’ve got to admit that what we can do militarily is nothing short of astounding.  The rate at which we can move troops, the precision with which we can now attack, our communications abilities; all of these attributes would have been unthinkable not so long ago.  Somewhere along the line though, we forgot to be impressed that it is a volunteer force.  Only a powerful force such as individual liberty can provide the impetus to join an army of your own free will.  Only a just cause such as freedom or self-preservation can keep such a force together for decades and even centuries.   Our country’s defense is blessed with the support of citizens from all walks of life willing to put country first.  Perhaps this attitude would serve us well as we vote, legislate and generally live our lives.
            Our founding fathers gave us perhaps their most precious gift by putting in ink those lofty goals to which we should always aspire.  The ideas of decentralized power, individual freedom, religious freedom, and economic freedom were important no doubt.  Yet my favorite qualities of our constitution are not what it allows, but what it prevents.  While the struggle of interpreting what powers are granted and assumed goes back to the first administration, I believe we have lost the ability to frame the debates currently taking place in anything resembling a logical context.  While we should celebrate the mere existence of the ugliest debate for the political freedom it exercises, we must remember for whom we are fighting.  Americans must recall that we are fighting for generations not-yet born.  We are fighting for the ideals that allowed us to both enjoy the prosperity and suffer the lessons found throughout our history.  While there are several social and economic reasons that the abomination that is slavery was allowed to persist when our nation was founded, we can not forget that the principles put us on a path that required the eventual freedom of all people.  It may have taken society time to implement the ideals of freedom throughout the population but we can’t blame the founders for this.  The idea that the constitution is a living document is now used to justify abandoning the essence of individual liberty.  Our constitution should only be amended in the pursuit of furthering the cause of freedom.  Sadly, this is not the case at all.  The abuse of the general welfare clause and the commerce clause are easy examples of the power grabbing that Washington is so addicted to. We must always remember the context in which our country was founded if we want to preserve the union they gave us.
            I have found myself dragged into debates over whether this or that social policy will work.  This is rather unfortunate.  I think it is a mistake to start a debate around the functionality of a policy.  Instead, perhaps we should start with questioning how many government services are well run, fulfill their promises, operate within budget, avoid expanding beyond initial intents; not to mention how many of these services would be more effectively and efficiently provided at the state or local level.  Empowering Washington to provide a service permits and encourages our politicians to determine quality, amount, type and availability of said service.  What works for those in San Francisco many times isn’t what those in rural Oklahoma might need or want.  We have forgotten this country exists as a democratic republic.  This union of individually empowered states is what is so unique and yet with each passing year we seem to seek to emulate those systems of centralized power we once ran from. Whether we want to talk about education, health care, or any of our social programs, I believe that we can avoid the majority of the bickering we get sidetracked by, by simply asking if a federal program is the most effective way to serve our needs as a society.  If we are able to frame our policy debates in such a way, I believe that we will end up respecting the needs of our country over the needs of ourselves.  It is this prioritization that will allow us to honor the sacrifices of past generations while passing on the gifts of liberty, justice and equal economic freedom to all future Americans.