– Barack Obama, President of the United States of America. 1/21/13
Mr. President… Who exactly is threatening the preservation of our Liberty?
The only Institution that can threaten our Liberty is the Government. So what are you trying to say here? What kind of “Collective” activity do you think is required to keep the government from infringing on our Individual Liberty?
Or… since you stated that “we all define Liberty differently”, are you talking about the Liberty of Government to do whatever it wishes? If so, Mr. President, how do you define Tyranny?
I have now listened to your entire speech (live) and re-read it twice. I do not have the stomach to continue.
Spouting Sophisticated Sophistry from the bully pulpit to the Uneducated and Intentionally Ignorant while standing on the graves of 100-million lives lost globally to your Socialist Ideal makes me ill.
I am sad, for all of us. It makes my heart hurt that the greatest experiment on self-rule is being dismantled by those who wish to cement their place as “the governing” while making subjects of all others. It makes my head hurt listening to supposedly educated individuals cheer the loss of their Freedom… and Liberty. It scares me that accolades are offered to you and your fellow travelers who wish the boot heel of oppressive Government be placed by the few upon the necks of the many.
The religion of the Left is the Individual is obligated to sacrifice himself upon the altar of the many… this idea is the antithesis of what this country was founded upon. I demand to retain my Natural Right to volunteer my sacrifice if I see fit… without obligation.
It’s not you specifically Mr. President… it’s the belief system that you and your associates subscribe to.
Some would label your desires as sinister… I prefer stupid, and deadly in their historically documented legacy.
makeaneffort 
January 29th, 2013 at 3:17 am
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January 26th, 2013 at 8:17 pm
[…] little freedom. I therefore wonder what President Obama meant by “collective action.” Mike at Make an Effort had this […]
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January 22nd, 2013 at 4:25 pm
[…] little freedom. I therefore wonder what President Obama meant by “collective action.” Mike at Make an Effort had this […]
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January 22nd, 2013 at 2:01 pm
[…] freedom. I therefore wonder what President Obama meant by “collective action.” Mike at Make an Effort had this […]
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January 22nd, 2013 at 12:58 pm
[…] freedom. I therefore wonder what President Obama meant by “collective action.” Mike at Make an Effort had this […]
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January 21st, 2013 at 9:27 pm
Obviously you’re right that the state is a huge potential threat to freedom, especially given its legal monopoly on force. But I don’t think the government is the only oppressive bully out there.
If all the private hotel owners in a town refuse to serve black travelers, does that reduce liberty? What if most private employers refuse to promote competent women into high-paying jobs? These have both happened, and government intervention was a force of liberation.
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January 22nd, 2013 at 8:16 am
Right… and we as individuals have courts, and supposedly a powerful media, in which to seek recourse. We do not possess that same ability when facing the government. In addition, as you accurately state, the government can force us to act a certain way. Your examples of discrimination discounts the economic principle of substitution. I go to the next town (you example must be a small town indeed if ALL the hotel owners are bigots… but I digress.) and seek shelter in a hotel that will accept me. I would also tell everyone I know what happened to me and where, knowing that a “fully engaged and objective press” would pour sunlight on the hotel owners behavior. With the press doing the fantastic job they always do, we should/would be able to make personal decisions as to whether or not to spend our money at these hotels.
In regard to women… I have worked with some of the most brilliant individuals in media. Most of them have been women. The stat’s you are being fed regarding women “not being promoted” should be carefully looked at… by you… as you cannot allow/rely on others to “tell” you the truth. The studies I have seen rarely approach, survey, or spend any time on factors outside of pure statistical metrics… which can lead you far away from the truth. Women tend to forego certain jobs, promotions and responsibilities that would lead to higher pay in trade for flexibility. There exists a large amount of information showing this. While there are many reasons for this but not the least significant is family. None of us have to like, or dislike, this particular reason… it simply is the case. Reality has a certain disregard of how we feel about it. But don’t believe me… look a little deeper… make an effort.
So in conclusion, it was not “government” that was the force of liberation as we as individuals are inalienably liberated. It is “government” through the legal system that WE, as individuals, seek redress for perceived injustices. It is US who defend our Liberty with the tools available. (I say perceived only because in your example the hotel owner did not kill you for desiring a room at their inn. So it required a court to determine if an injustice was in fact committed… which is not always the case. Which is a reason we should have “Loser Pays” in this country.) I think we, in the United States, need to spend a little more time thinking about what an “injustice” really is… while looking at female castration, the stoning of infidels, systematic starvation, intentional withholding of medication, tribal warfare etc.. around the rest of the “enlightened socialist” world. All too often I see our abundance leaving us trying to find things to be offended by here at home.
But that may be another post.
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