What I Noticed in Passing….
Recently I’ve come under attack for my commentaries relating to what I observe as the core issue of this nations great divide. Yes, I believe the core issue is Our interpretation of this notion we call Freedom and how and in what way we express it through the mechanisms of Liberty. We might (even) explain the point in this way:
“The Ideal of Freedom is brought to Life through the manner in which we believe we are at Liberty to do so. The greater ones sacred notion of Freedom, the greater ones desire to preserve the Liberty to express Freedom.”
The events now underway in Wisconsin, Indiana and Ohio hi-lite this very point and is at the forefront of my mind and I pray, for the entire Nation as well. It is and will become histories great point-of-reference for what becomes of representative-democracy. It is, not unlike the Constitutional Convention of 1778, yet another defining moment in this Country’s continuous struggle toward perfecting (or abandoning) the ideal of self-governance.
Here are a few key points to consider as you develop your position on the matter particularly as it relates to the dominant position of unions, collective-bargaining or for the mater, the authoritative role of any minority-will movement seeking to undermine the majority-will:
- Implicit in the structure of representative-democracy is the sacred notion that those truths we hold to be true are the foundation of our common ideal. The entire construct of the abstract terms of Freedom and its expressing mechanism, Liberty, rely wholly on adherence, deference and preservation of this common ideal. There is no more or less and there is no parsing of this notion of common ideal; it is, in point of fact, non-severable.
- Implicit in the structure of representative-democracy is the solemn oath, spoken or unspoken, that the common ideal is sacred and that despite the occasional incidence of divisiveness, ultimately disorder is resolved by deferential reverence as expressed by this simple anecdote: “…though they may be of different minds, they ultimately converge upon a common ideal.”
- Implicit in the structure of representative-democracy is the pursuit of and deference to a majority-will expressing a common ideal and not the imposition of a minority-ambition upon a majority-will in pursuit of the common ideal.
As a Nation, we as a People are compelled to understand the critical importance of these fundamental principles; they are, in point of fact, the pure essence of our sacred bond binding each of us to one another. It is not that your Freedoms are checked at the door which is certainly not the case or the intention; it is more so that one grasps the simple purity in the common ideal which conveys a simple and profound truth that you intuitively understand and accept as vital:
“That without my sacred vow to void all attempts at vacating another’s Liberty to express their Freedom, then I possess no such mechanism for affecting the same.”
Imposing ones minority-ambition upon the majority-will through the inanimate force of governance is, without challenge, the most egregious breach of this sacred oath. There are far too many examples of this occurring and I confess, sadly, the present Administration has further accelerated the assault in a form and device that can only be described as a perfecting-art!
The outcome of this process is The Rise in Willing Failure. As we observe the financial crisis at all levels, this Nation now witnesses the very evidence which validates the consequence of a breach in this sacred oath and by extension, our common-ideal. We now question the viability and validity of our founding ideals, the rule of representative-democracy and our individual duty to one another. Our failure to perpetually validate these ideals has given credibility to various notions in the absurd:
Pro-Illegal Immigration fans reason that Illegal’s are necessary to perform Jobs American’s won’t do Are we now to reason that Unions are necessary to protect jobs for assuring non-union American’s don’t work, States go Bankrupt and a Nation subsidizes failure? How far from the realm of reason are we willing to go? The fact of the matter is that there are far more efficient and affective means to articulate and administrate labor-issues, yet none seem even remotely willing to broach the subject.
Yes in deed the real issue is not the toxic-brew of the worker-rights argument, it is far more critical than this: At risk is the fundamental life-blood of representative government. A majority of the principled must always suspend the minority of the derelict ambition.
A world of the conscientious observer is paying close attention to this national crisis of conscience and if we are to truly extol the virtues of representative-democracy then it can only be affected in the manner in which we preserve it, protect it and practice it. Otherwise, our notion of Freedom and its expressing-mechanism, Liberty, is a complete and utter fraud. There is no or has there ever been, a middle-ground.
“Democracy is not just defined by the freedom to choose, it is more so the process of keeping Government from being used to define what becomes of choice!”
One may like the idea of corporate governance and the bias of acquired influence such as in the case of the Union-like brute force and I confess, I honor your individual right to express your preference in favor of it. However, your desire to perfect your ambition should never come at the price of another’s freedom to express their liberty in opposition to it and any burden for the cost of your ambition should be yours and yours alone. Risk-sharing for collective-tyranny’s abuse is simply unacceptable. This nation is permanently scarred by this contemptible notion of the shared-collective and the damage is blistering and unmistakable. The process has finally run its course and how we address what has become its consequential result will forever define what the next chapter in the experiment of self-governance records.
Giving license to abuse en-masse is not the corner-stone of representative-democracy, it is, to be sure, its mortal enemy.
“Man must be Free for Independence to be at Liberty to be expressed!”
Curtis C. Greco, Founder
