Where will the next election take us?
By David R. Young, Author of THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM: Freedom vs. Enslavement
How do we really create a better future for America? First, it would be vital to define what we mean by “a better future” and for who. What is good for the wolf, may not be good for the sheep. The pitfalls of any political policy grows exponentially with the size and diversity of the governed. This was the key problem the founding father’s faced when confronted with determining the roll of federal government and this diversity is at the bottom of every major issue facing America today.

Our vast diversities are exacerbated by the very core of our basic tenets of “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. These tenets invite diversity. They nurture individuality and the pursuit of one’s dreams, wherever they may lead. Freedom of Religion brings more diversity to our country. From the beginning of the exodus from Europe, people fled to America to avoid religious persecution from both governmental and “rival” religions groups. Prior to the establishment of our constitution, there was no genuine recourse for religious persecution. Even today, religious tolerance could sometimes be best described as begrudging tolerance. But that’s the nature of man and the very reason this important freedom was afforded federal protection.

So when we talk about a better future for America we have to recognize that it must embrace the vastness of culture and diversity of our country or it will be a short lived improvement, resulting in further discontent by those who’s needs are ignored.

Can the Federal Government really take us there? Can the Federal government take you there? Can the Federal Government provide you, personally, with what you feel you need to pursue your life, liberty and your pursuit for happiness?

In a Republic, the strata of government that exerts the most control over your personal activities would be the same level of government which you have control over. No matter you political, religious or secular pursuits government’s main purpose in a Republic, is to protect the rights of every citizen in their pursuit of the basic tenet: Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

“A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government…” Thomas Jefferson

Regardless of you political affiliation, truly understanding the above quote leaves little room for disagreement. This quote sums up the role of government at every level of our political system, from city hall, state government to the federal government. In a republic, this is the sole purpose of government.

In our pursuit for a better future for America, it is paramount that we understand that our current condition as a country is the result of the combined changes to the basic purpose of our government since its inception. Our countries problems did not just suddenly arise from the actions of the last several presidents. There are forces at work on our republic that go beyond the stated political beliefs of President Obama and Presidential hopeful Mitt Romeny.

The basic conflict could be distilled down to a conflict in political philosophies. What does that mean? It could be summarized in the following questions: Who should rule a society? Should individuals be permitted to self rule (supervised only to prevent injuring another)? or Should there be an individual or class of society that rule over how you live, and to what degree? To make this clear, consider the opposite end of this political spectrum; communism. It’s not a word much used these days, its seems almost archaic in the English language. But is provides a stark contrast to the tenets of a republic.

While communism say the people should maintain power, as does a republic, its concept of this is quite different. Communism views a society (collection of individuals in an area) as a whole and that the individuals personal survival is dependent upon the survival of the group. And thus actions that increase the survival of the group benefit the individual. The tenets of a republic, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are considered selfish actions and must be set aside for the good of the society.

Individuals are considered equal and to make this a reality, individual ownership is prohibited by government. You don’t create your own business. You don’t survive off your own innovation and productivity. Government takes all the fruit of your labor and returns the basic necessities it deems you require to survive as part of the group and to monitor and maintain equality throughout the society. This lack of ownership is compensated for by the concept that you own everything in the society by being part of it.

“From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.” Karl Marx
This quote sums up the role of communist government at every level from the local commissar to the party chairman. In a communist state, this is the sole purpose of government.

These two political systems define the two ends of the political spectrum. The political spectrum can be defined as political philosophies, (such as communism, Democracy, etc.) positioned on a scale, with individual freedom to the extreme right and enforced dependence or enslavement on the extreme left. Thus the political spectrum shows the degree of freedom one can expect under each government system.

To create a better future for America, which direction should America move?
Do we move toward government which allows its citizens the widest berth of freedom possible while maintaining a watchful eye toward preventing infringement on individual freedoms or liberties? Should our government stand back and allow men to excel based on diversity of their individual abilities and intelligence and who then reap the wealth obtained from societies’ acceptance and demand for their innovations?

Or, will we, as a country, have a better future if we move toward government which takes more action to equalize the natural inequities in ability and intelligence of men? Do we want government to set the level to which an individual may excel?
These are the questions that face our nation. You can have a say in which direction we go. Or, you can just sit back and watch.

The full text, research and documentation on the subject of the political spectrum can be found in the new book THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM: Freedom vs. Enslavement.