“Why should I trade one tyrant three thousand miles away for three thousand tyrants one mile away?”

That quote by Mel Gibson’s character in The Patriot stuck with me ever since the first time I saw the movie. Again and again I ask myself, “is that what we have done, really?”

I am sad to say that is exactly what we have done.  Whether Conservative or Liberal, Republican or Democrat, on the left or on the right, we have traded one tyrant for thousands of democratically elected tyrants, but tyrants still.  Various political groups ( you pick a political party) tell us to vote their chosen candidates into office, and they will protect us from (pick the opposing political party), you know those people , the ones who want to control what you do, what you say, what you eat, drink, smoke, where you work and decide whether or not you receive medical care.  So, you volunteer your time, energy, and money to help elect “their candidate.”  Once that’s accomplished, we (good people) will be safe from them (bad people), and, in fact, we (good people) will be able to turn the tide in our favor and make them (bad people) do what we (good people) know is the right thing, whatever it may be.

Really, is that it?  Is that all there is to saving our country, throwing out their group and electing our group because our group holds the moral high ground?

So, we bounce back in forth on the political spectrum, worse than a pinball at the arcade, with one group wanting one thing and another wanting something else, vying to use the power of government to impose it on everyone, because they believe that is what is best for all.

Have we given up on our fellow citizens and determined that they are unable to make conscious decisions about what is best for them? Obviously they can’t be responsible for their own actions and make decisions, they need our help. Yes, they need our help.  You know us, the “smart ones”; we know what is best for all, and we will show the way; whether they like it or not.

Are you one of the ‘smart people’ who just knows what is best, not only for yourself, but also everyone else? How did you come by that power? Is it genetic or did you acquire it through study? How did you arrive at such a pinnacle of humanity that you know what is best for everyone?

You say that’s not you. Are you sure? Have you ever said to yourself, “If I only had the power I would . . ?”  Be honest now, you know you have.  I admit that I have, and I am willing to say that I have voted accordingly.  I am sorry to say I have been on both ends of the political spectrum from liberal to conservative, and I felt I knew what was best and that “my” candidate would insure that those people were made to do what I thought was best.

Aren’t they really saying that they do not believe in freedom, liberty, and the decency of the average person? You know what I mean, the candidate who will make everyone follow their way of thinking, because they know best what is right or moral?

Maybe it is best stated by C. S. Lewis, “Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.”

It is time for all of us to vote for candidates who believe in “We The People” and in the constitutional limits placed on government. If the candidate has a record, examine it very closely. Listen to their words and what are they really saying. Read between the lines.  Do they claim that the laws they want to pass will make our lives better, but always seem to limit someone’s rights and freedoms? Or are they more interested in keeping the government in check, so we remain free to live our lives as we see fit?

Remember always, government is force, legalized force, yes.  But it is force even to the point of violence. Government must be held in check and its power only used to protect the rights and freedoms of citizens.

You know that in your personal life you really want to be left alone, without some group or individual or government body dictating what you do and how to live your life, don’t you? If that is what you want for yourself, then you must be willing to let others live their lives without government interference.

Refuse to vote for any more tyrants!

William Kennedy

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