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Gifts for all occasions in the Galleria! Subscribe to the "What is the Deal?" mailing list. The "What is the Deal?" Deal-of-the-Week: Mrs Fields Save 10% off Summer Gifts July 4, 2004 What is the Deal with Freedom? By Jan A. Larson  "...Governments are instituted among Men,
deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, -- That
whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is
the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new
Government ..."- Declaration of Independence of
the Thirteen Colonies
July 4, 1776
As we celebrate the 228th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, it is appropriate to ponder as to when will come the inevitable day that our government must be abolished and we start over. Americans enjoy freedoms unknown to many around the world, but those freedoms are currently under attack from not only outside our nation, but as well from within. The government intrudes on the lives of Americans far more than many people realize and, according to Hillary Clinton, the government must intrude even more "for the common good." A government license is required to drive, to get married and to go fishing. The government requires that you must pay for schools (whether you have children or not), that you pay for roads (whether you drive or not) and that you pay for a host of giveaways to narrow special-interests whether you share that interest or not. You must wear a seatbelt when driving and, in more and more cities around the country, you can no longer smoke a cigarette in public. Fireworks are mostly illegal and you need a permit to remodel your house. You pay a fee to the government when you buy tires and taxes when you use the phone. You must have insurance if you drive. The government confiscates your wages with the promise that you'll be taken care of when you're old although the immutable laws of mathematics will preclude that promise being kept for younger Americans. The government has its tentacles into virtually everything in your daily life - your job (via a myriad of employment laws and regulations), your schools (mandated curriculum, admissions policies, taxes), your car (through mileage and safety requirements), your food (from FDA standards to farm subsidies) and your home itself (building codes, property taxes). With each passing year, the government gets bigger, not smaller. Regulations are added, not removed. New laws are passed, but few are repealed. The quantity of government programs increases and the scope of those programs expands, but yet most Americans are no better off. Prosperity comes to societies that are free. Elitists such as Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy and other career politicians believe they know what is best for you and continue to drive the reach of government further and further into the daily lives of American citizens. The words of Thomas Jefferson, "That government is best which governs the least" are as true today as they were then, but don't tell that to the elites on Capitol Hill. As the government continues to grow and becomes more involved in the everyday lives of free Americans, Americans will one day realize that they are no longer free. One day, an ever-growing government establishment, operated by career politicians and bureaucrats will cease to govern by the consent of the governed. As you celebrate the 4th of July weekend and reflect on the freedoms that many Americans cherish, but many others take for granted, you may wish to ask yourself when will that day come? Maybe it is already here. -- Send feedback to the author. The "What is the Deal?" column will appears weekly on the Pie of Knowledge website. Guest submissions are welcome and encouraged. To submit an article to "What is the Deal?" click here. To subscribe to the "What is the Deal?" mailing list and receive early notification when a new column is available, click here. The Pie of Knowledge will never, ever divulge email addresses to any third party for any reason unless so ordered by a court of law. Contributions to the Pie of Knowledge are greatly appreciated. 
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