Watching that scene, I was struck with the thought of how radical the notion of America must have been to the world when our Bill of Rights was written, putting forth the position that all men were created equal.
For centuries there had always been an elite ruling class, believed to have acquired their rights directly from God. The masses were subjected to either a ruler's benevolence or his wrath. To oppose a ruler would be to oppose God. There was usually no change in a person's station in life among the masses. A family would exit a century as poor and as destitute as their great-grandfather had entered that century. And so it was for hundreds of years in every part of the world; the masses were subject to the ruling class and nothing much changed.
Then, in the eighteenth century, a group of men who helped settle a new
land garnered faith as they watched their efforts prosper. It became
self-evident that all men were blessed by God, and all men yearned to be
free. So, they declared their independence from the rulers in England. They
established a nation whose government was based on laws that recognize that
all men are endowed by God with certain unalienable rights. All men desire
the same things: life, liberty – which is freedom from arbitrary control –
and the right to pursue a course in life that is personally pleasing.
They were free men because God meant them to be free. Gone forever
would be the absolute rule of any despot king. And, if they decided to set
up any "controlling legal authority," that body would derive its powers only
through the consent of the free people.
That was, is and should always be the spirit of America. A spirit of
freedom that empowers an individual to pursue a life whose actual perimeters reach far beyond the point of even their greatest dreams.
The world watched America in those early years and wondered what would
become of a nation in which a common man could possess the freedom of a king.
This was a new, exciting and revolutionary way of living. Common men
throughout the world secretly cheered for our founding citizens. As America
grew, millions of like-minded people, whose hearts yearned for the same
freedom, came here to pursue their own dreams – and, in doing so, enriched,
not only their lives but the entire nation. American ingenuity produced a
country that exceeded all expectations and, today, stands as the world's only
superpower.
Yet, in spite of all the abundant wealth freedom has produced, 224 years
after our country's birth, our freedom is in jeopardy. This year's
presidential election is the most important in two hundred years because of
the truly diametrically opposed opinions about freedom held by the two
candidates.
George Bush embraces freedom with the same affection as our founding
fathers and recognizes the empowering, uplifting, and enriching effect it
has on the masses. Al Gore fears freedom for the masses in much the same way
a despot ruler feared the great unwashed masses' ownership of pitchforks and
torches. Let's examine the differences.
Bush emanates a youthful exuberance that parallels the optimism that
began this nation. His expression of joyous expectations seems to mirror our
country's wondrous achievements. His countenance beams acceptance, approval,
a wink, a nod, a thumbs-up kind of guy.
Bush recognizes that the benefits of government are best derived from a
limited scope. A strong military is necessary, but not a strong
bureaucracy. Taxes are a necessary evil, but he acknowledges that the money
paid as taxes was first earned by hard-working Americans. Bush favors
freedom but not one devoid of responsibility or accountability. Bush is not
afraid to state the obvious: that government does not generate wealth,
private industry does, and the best job government can do is to get out of the
citizen's way.
He possesses a willingness to be open-minded on the issues,
such as global warming. He wants to appoint a panel of scientists to study
whether or not global warming is real, and its causes. He will not allow
important issues to be politicized. He does this because he has integrity.
A thread of freedom connects each issue in his political philosophy.
Gore's demeanor is one of a stern, humorless taskmaster. He would have
made a great ruler in the Napoleon era – proud, stiff, puffed-up,
condescending and elitist. He's the type of ruler who won't give his people
a tax cut, because he imagines he won't like how they would spend their
money.
Gore believes that whatever the private sector does, government can do it
better. In fact, he seems to believe that it is the job of government to be
involved in every aspect of a citizen's life. He has proposed the largest
increase in government spending and social programs since FDR and then turns
around and says he is for smaller government. He does this because he lacks
integrity.
Gore has proposed a universal government day care and government
health care. I imagine a Gore administration will do for day care and health
care what the government has already done for public housing and public
education. Gore's philosophy can only be described as socialistic and
un-American. His policies, beliefs and ideas are the exact antithesis of
what our founding fathers envisioned for America.
Gore's plans for our country would be absolutely ruinous to the wealth,
health and prosperity of our way of life. Let's examine why.
Assessing a Gore presidency is like wading through a field of manure. So
much of what he says is just shameless pandering for votes that it is
difficult to know exactly what he will or will not do. He claims he will
give us a tax cut, but Bush has successfully exposed that lie. Gore said
millions would be "eligible" for tax relief under his plan, but if you
itemize your taxes or take the mortgage deduction, that would disqualify
you. Gore is parsing his words very carefully, just as Clinton did with the
word "is."
So forget about getting tax relief if Gore is elected, but why would you
ever believe him? Remember it was the Clinton-Gore team who promised us
100,000 new cops, one million reading tutors in classrooms and a middle
class tax cut. I haven't seen any new cops, except, occasionally, in my
rear-view mirror. I haven't heard of any new tutors. Taxes were not cut,
but raised, and on not only the middle class but Social Security recipients
as well.
Three issues we know Gore will institute: the paid family leave act, a
business-hostile EPA, and high gasoline prices. All of them will devastate
our prosperity.
Only a career politician with absolutely no business acumen would think
that a paid family leave act is a good idea. The family leave act forces
businesses to pay employees leave for a variety of personal reasons. No
company can endure paying employees weeks' worth of wages without receiving just compensation.
Twenty-five years ago, my uncle received 13 weeks paid
vacation from his employer, the second-largest steel mill in the country.
That company no longer exists. The two largest steel mills in the country,
with a history and heritage in Pittsburgh, are no longer in the city. I
often thought all those high-waged numerous vacation weeks helped kill that
industry.
The last steel mill to go "under" in Pittsburgh was the LTV Corp. in 1998
when 714 employees lost their jobs as Clinton-Gore's EPA issued stricter
federal standards in our city's air quality. They cleaned our already clear
air by raising the maximum ozone level from 125 parts per billion over a one-hour period to 85 parts per billion over an eight-hour average, and
successfully outlawed "dust" in Pittsburgh. That is how the Gore
administration will treat businesses and American jobs.
Yet the worst example of what a Gore presidency will do to this country
involves gasoline prices. In his book "Earth in the Balance" it is clear
that Gore favors high gas prices for the purpose of discouraging the use of
autos and, thereby, reducing air pollution. During the recent rise in gas
prices, Gore spoke against the price increase and blamed the oil companies,
but if the concern for the "working " people was real, the Clinton-Gore
administration could have immediately reduced the gasoline tax, providing
financial relief for consumers. They didn't because their ultimate goal is
higher gas prices.
An artificially high and immediate raise in gas prices will be the death nail in the coffin of freedom. Gasoline prices affect every product, and higher prices add additional cost at every level of transportation.
This is a plan that will truly punish the poorest of the poor. It will bankrupt small business, which will put people out of work, thus increasing poverty, which will reduce product demand, which will in turn affect supply, which will increase prices, and the downward spiral will consume America's prosperity.
This is a recipe for economic ruin and government intervention. This is the real Al Gore plan. So, in keeping with one dying man's wish, in lieu of flowers, vote Bush.
Joan Nagy can be contacted by
e-mail at
© 2021 Newsmax. All rights reserved.