​WHEN IT HURTS TO BE CORRECT

​Sometimes we wish we could say that we were wrong and not say, “see, I told you so.”  I had this hit home once again.  I was guest on a radio broadcast with Beth Ann Schoenberg on CSC Talk Radio.  You can listen to her every morning by simply searching her on the web. 
 
Beth Ann had me on her program to discuss Rights vs Entitlements, which is the subject of my new book, “Two Visions of America” to be in print by the end of August, I hope.  Beth Ann opened the phone lines and took a call from Joe.  Joe was very articulate.  I would also guess that Joe would have classified himself as a Freedom Loving American who believes in the principles of the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution of the United States, and the Bill of Rights. 
 
He ended his comment by stating he believes that in the United States it should be a right for everybody to own a small piece of property since property is a natural right per Locke, and Sam Adams.  (reference to Locke and Sam Adams added by me, not Joe) He explained that the government should give that land to the people. 
 
What I have stated for many years is that socialism is moving forward in the United States, not because of the collectivist (Marxist, communist, socialist, progressive, Democrat – all virtually the same) movement, but because those who claim to believe in the principles of our founding documents but do not understand what collectivism (Marxism, communism, socialism, progressive, Democrat – all virtually the same) really is. 
 
Our founding documents emphasize and state that the United States will be Republic adhering to rule of law, have a limited government, and have a divided government.  We are built on the principle that the people are sovereign with the government as the servant and that the philosophy of individualism will reign supreme. 
 
It has always been the goal of the collectivist (Marxist, communist, socialist, progressive, Democrat – all virtually the same) to conflate rights with entitlements.  When they have been successful accomplishing this, so people believe rights are granted and controlled by government and entitlements are also rights, they have moved us down “The Road to Tyranny.”  My contention is that they have done this, and that contention was confirmed by Joe.
 
What Joe stated is the very heart of collectivism (Marxism, communism, socialism, progressive, Democrat – all virtually the same).  Collectivism is the belief that government is supreme in all and the individual is the serf, servant, or slave to the government.  The wishes and demands of the government are always supreme to those of the individual.  Karl Marx called for a classless society.  In this classless (communist) society all people would conform to the dictates of the state and all would be equal, socially, politically, and economically.  The government would determine how people were to live their lives and what their thoughts were to be.  The role of the individual would be to conform.
 
In an individualist society each person would determine how they wanted to live their lives and what their thoughts would be.  This is the promise of our founding Documents.  If an individual determined they wanted to own their own property, they had the right to pursue that desire, but it would be a decision made by the individual and not determined by the government.
 
What Joe, and so many Americans do not understand, is that when we allow the government to make the determination for everyone in one area, we are greasing the slippery slope for all areas.  Today the Marxist/Progressive (Democrat) party is telling us it is a right to have health care and they will determine the extent and coverage, that all people should be provided free college, that all people should have a government determined minimum income, and that all people should be punished for achieving,.
 
In addition, the government is telling us that our right to worship God freely must conform to what the government determines is freely, that our right to speak with no infringements will be allowed so long as we do not speak hatefully as they determine hatefully, or speak in a manner that would cause discomfort, as they define discomfort, to another.  The government has also told us that certain classes of people do not have a right to life because their life would be an inconvenience to another.  What is taking place as a part of the transformation Marx predicted for the United States is the conflation of rights and entitlements. 
 
I feel comfortable in stating that the proposal of Joe to have the government ensure that every American have their own piece of property comes from what he believes to be a benevolent position.  It is this position I fear the most.  That is good people proposing what they believe to be good ideas, when in fact they are greatly advancing the collectivist (Marxist, communist, socialist, progressive, Democrat – all virtually the same) movement.  I contend this happens because they do not understand the collectivist (Marxist, communist, socialist, progressive, Democrat – all virtually the same) philosophy and goals.
 
In order for us to remain a free and independent people it is paramount that we never conflate rights and entitlements, that we the people are the sovereign and the government is the servant, that we have a limited and divided government, that we adhere to rule of law, and that individualism reigns supreme.  Each individual has been given natural rights by their Creator, among them life, liberty, and property, and the only role government is to play is to protect these rights. Government is to never control or infringe them in any way.

Each time, even for benevolent purposes, we bend these principles, we are paving “The Road to Tyranny.”