[TheThinker]

one could say that if there was one thing that was different in the founding of our gov’t than all others was that, for the first time, the natural rights of individuals were held higher than those of the church or the state.

Too many don't seem to realize that those precious natural individual rights must be guarded vigilantly.

The political class is always trying to separate them from the public with trinkets like "hope" as if the individual American and his abilities isn't all the hope he'll ever need.

Once we lose faith in ourselves to survive and fulfill our dreams, that's when one starts giving up rights in return for slavery in the form of government-structured welfare programs.

[riri]

That's is what make what they are doing so sinister. Look at the EU. The average European doesn't even know the framework and the power that unelected officials have on their lives. They keep the appearances of the old government in place complete with elections but the representatives and countrymen themselves have less and less power. Many Europeans do not believe this. I have actually had arguments with Brits who tell me the EU has no real power.

[Kent C]

> “Once we lose faith in ourselves to survive and fulfill our dreams, that’s when one starts giving up rights in return for slavery in the form of government-structured welfare programs.”

You’re right. It is a laziness of ‘spirit’ that traps us. Eternal vigilance isn’t easy to practice when things seem to be ok. We’ll learn that soon enough.