Changing Times, and the Right to be Left Alone

The Bill of Rights is a list of specific ways that the government itself is specifically directed to leave us alone.

The Constitution – first in the world of its kind - was written to design a government that is only big enough - not too big, just big enough - to be able to help us, the people, to be left alone. Not just to be left alone by government, but to be left alone by everybody.

So, the government is empowered to have a military... to ensure that foreign countries don't attack us, and don’t meddle with our international trade.

The government is empowered to maintain some kind of stable currency, and enforce freedom of contract... so that we can buy and sell and trade and engage in business freely, free to prosper with easily negotiable instruments, without being limited by the restrictions of a barter economy, so we can have a business of our own or work for someone else, have one job or many, and have career options galore.

The government is empowered to manage a criminal justice system... so that people who attack, rob, rape or kill their fellow man can be removed from society. A functioning criminal justice system protects our homes and schools, our neighborhoods and towns, our shopping centers and entertainment districts... It makes sure that criminals leave us alone.

The government is empowered to manage a post office and allocate the airwaves... so that people can freely communicate with each other; communication is a critical element of a free society.

The government is empowered to manage roads... so that we can travel from place to place, even pick up and move, so that if somebody's taking advantage in one place (like some monopoly running a company town), you can get out, and go where you'll be left alone.

We usually use lofty words like Liberty and Freedom when we talk about government's role in our lives. But we sometimes forget what is meant by these lofty words, so inaccessible after centuries of formal philosophy and dusty classrooms, or so severely twisted and transformed into meaningless buzzwords through political speeches and vapid pop culture..

At its root, the Freedom Philosophy is that we should be free to engage in mutually-desired human contact - going to church together, going to the game together, holding a rally together, doing business with each other, going to the theatre or bar - whenever we want... and avoiding human contact whenever we don't want.

This past year - ever since the arrival on our shores of a sometimes-fatal virus engineered in a Chinese lab, in fact – every day has been an exercise in the loss of this freedom.

Many of our states have abandoned their roots, and instead emulated other countries, in responding to this virus by setting new and oppressive rules on how we live our lives. How close we can be to other people. What we must wear when we're near other people. How late we can stay out at night, if we do go out. And if we are even "allowed” to go to a store, or restaurant, or church, or business, how far apart we must stay, how much plexiglass the place must erect between us, between our tables, desks, workstations, or pews.

The last year has been an explosion of new ways for the government to control us. Rather than leaving us alone, as the Constitution (that they all took an oath to uphold) requires, the government is regulating our lives more than ever.

We often think of the passage of time, in America, in terms of presidential administrations.

We don't think of the years of the Gingrich Speakership, the Hastert Speakership, the Pelosi Speakership. But we do think of the Eisenhower Years, the Nixon Years, the Carter Years, the Reagan Years. This has always been the practical calendar of our history.

The first three Trump Years were years of freedom, years in which regulations were slashed and taxes were cut, and unprecedented economic expansion blossomed from coast to coast. The fourth Trump Year, by contrast (through no fault of his own), will be remembered as the year in which government choked the American people like never before, the year in which state after state violated every tenet of our Founding Fathers' legacy, and unconstitutionally locked down much of the nation, culminating in a fraud-filled election designed to enthrone a new president who would permanently institutionalize many of the "temporary" measures that the China Virus had been used to justify.

In short, having consolidated control of all three federal branches, the Democrats have promised to continue to consolidate their control of the American people as well.

How will America respond? How long will America take it, before remembering our roots, throwing off this alien yoke, and demanding from the government that precious, groundbreaking promise of the Constitution that is our birthright?

John F Di Leo is a Chicagoland-based writer, actor and international trade professional. A former county chairman of the Milwaukee County Republican Party, his columns have been published in Illinois Review for twelve years now. "The Tales of Little Pavel," a collection of John's Illinois Review columns on the epidemic of vote fraud, is available on Kindle and at Amazon.com.

“How long will America take it, before remembering our roots, throwing off this alien yoke”

Now, the mob will come for you.

“Now, the mob will come for you.”
I believe this since the Rats said they will punish Prez Trump supporters. The Rats, if abl,e will be true to their promise since there is already blood in the water. IMHO

One of the weaknesses of the American form of government is that the Founders pictured a future where people would serve in government positions for a few years, then go home. As a result, there were no provisions built into our laws to deal with a lifetime politician or bureaucrat and the seemingly inevitable addiction to power and position.

When the next revolution happens and the new Declaration and Constitution are drafted, some of the current weaknesses will be addressed. Then it's a question of how long it takes for new vulnerabilities to manifest themselves. Hopefully the next round of Founders will pay attention to what happened this time and not repeat our mistakes.

“One of the weaknesses of the American form of government is that the Founders pictured a future where people would serve in government positions for a few years, then go home

Well stated - I’d point out it is a human failing to assume a straight trend line when considering what the future might bring. In this case, the founders believed future Americans would be cut from the same cloth as were they. Obviously, this was quickly proven wrong as more base men came to power and arrogated more power to themselves within whatever limits others might try to set.

Be ready to earn that right - with these evil people trying to TAKE all of that away from you.

Like I’ve been saying. Big Tech will demand everyone to have a Twitter Account down the road, so that employers can easily access your political leanings. And not having a Twitter account at all, or never posting anything will not be an option, you will have to proclaim your love for Big Brother.

I actually don’t believe the Founding Fathers ever had anything against longterm service in public office. I think they would consider the idea of term limits outrageous, since it restricts the right of the district to choose the person they trust.

Most of our Founding Fathers served in office for decades.

Washington had been in the Virginia colonial legislature for nearly 20 years when the revolution began. Most of the others had served similar durations.

But they were principled... and they didn’t earn much money from government service. Almost all of them gave up earnings (like president Trump did) by going into government jobs.

I will always maintain that the problem is the people themselves, not how long they serve.

With very few exceptions, these bums are as bad in their first term as they are 20 years in.

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