*Plain Truth*
columnist: Aaron Emery

Topic: Government
A (Simple) Wordy Dilemma

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We often misuse or misinterpret these words, to the point that we don't even understand their meaning anymore. This is a common occurrence in the political realm. Politicians love to attach arbitrary meaning to words and spout them repeatedly until that meaning is accepted as definition. Examples of this are readily apparent in everyday life.

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by Aaron Emery
(libertarian)
Tuesday, February 3, 2009

A (Simple) Wordy Dilemma

By Aaron Emery

February 3, 2009

"The pen is mightier than the sword." We've all heard this phrase and it's become pretty cliche. The message behind it is very powerful though. Its intent is not to imply that pens are literally powerful but the words that they create. Therefore; "Words are mightier than the sword."

Some would argue that words aren't that important, that the actions behind them are more important than simple words. I will concede that point, but I would emphasize that they remain a very powerful force. At times they are inspirational and can change lives, other times they are solemn and express our deepest emotions, still other times they are tools of distortion and manipulation. What is important to understand is that they are far more powerful than most people give them credit.

It is simple words that have guaranteed our rights and liberties under the Constitution (even when they're not respected) for over 200 years. It is simple words that have led nations to war committing countless atrocities in the name of those very words. It is simple words that have shaped entire faiths and formed massive congregations of spiritual followers. It is simple words that allow us to share our lives with others and give meaning to otherwise unknown events.

We often misuse or misinterpret these words, to the point that we don't even understand their meaning anymore. This is a common occurrence in the political realm. Politicians love to attach arbitrary meaning to words and spout them repeatedly until that meaning is accepted as definition. Examples of this are readily apparent in everyday life.

Quick, what form of government do we have in the U.S.? You said Democracy didn't you? Most people would, that couldn't be further from the truth. Here's the definition of democracy according to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary;

government by the people ; especially : rule of the majority.

When was the last time you voted on an issue or proposal? It does happen, but so infrequently at the federal level as to not be considered part of the normal political process. We do vote on representatives, and those representatives in turn should vote the way we think they ought to, that is why we elected them after all, but they are not bound by law to vote in that manner. In any case, we do not vote directly on most issues, instead we are represented and therefore, our form of government is a Republic. Now within this Republic there are many differing political and social views and most of those words have been skewed as well. Let's look at some of the most well known.

Liberal

Here is the definition of Liberalism according to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary;

b: a theory in economics emphasizing individual freedom from restraint and usually based on free competition, the self-regulating market, and the gold standard. c: a political philosophy based on belief in progress, the essential goodness of the human race, and the autonomy of the individual and standing for the protection of political and civil liberties.

I don't have to put up much of an argument when I say that what we call "Liberals" today, do not believe in free competition, a self-regulating market, or the gold standard. These implications are almost laughable, especially given the mindset of bailouts and stimulus' running wild amongst "Liberals". The self-regulating market is especially fitting today. The last thing that all but a handful of politicians want in the American market is the government allowing it to self-regulate. Granted, any economist worth his salt will tell you that all our financial problems are due to government intervention, the complete opposite of self-regulation, but again, those are just words.

The "autonomy of the individual and standing for the protection of political and civil liberties" part is equally absurd. I know what most people will say about Liberals promoting civil liberties by dictating racially equalizing policies like affirmative action. This is possibly the most racist policy the government has adopted in decades. Affirmative action sets requirements for specified numbers of minorities and women to be employed by companies and accepted into schools. Instead of negatively impacting women and minorities in the workplace, it positively impacts them, giving an unfair advantage simply due to gender or race. That's also racist/sexist, but we don't often think of it in those terms. Racism/sexism is not merely slander or poor treatment; it's also unfair treatment by means of favoritism. I believe whole-heartedly that women and minorities deserve equal treatment, of course they do, this is not an issue of gender or race, they are individuals and there should be no other consideration in that respect. This attempt at equalization however, merely creates inequality. The way to combat this is not through legislation but through hearts and minds by means of education. This is a very touchy subject that opens itself to much scrutiny and hurt feelings and rightfully so.

Even far more disturbing is what lies on the horizon, government sponsored slavery; at least that's what our hopeful President is urging. Our new President's website www.change.org posted this, emphasis mine;

"Obama will call on citizens of all ages to serve America, by developing a plan to require 50 hours of community service in middle school and high school and 100 hours of community service in college every year."

Of course as soon as the media got wind of this the outrage began, and rightfully so. The website changed the text to what it is now, but make no mistakes; just because the words sound a little nicer the effect will not change. Here's what the site has posted currently, emphasis mine;

"Obama will call on citizens of all ages to serve America, by setting a goal that all middle school and high school students do 50 hours of community service a year and by developing a plan so that all college students who conduct 100 hours of community service receive a universal and fully refundable tax credit ensuring that the first $4,000 of their college education is completely free."

The plan to require it is still in effect, they have changed the words slightly to be less alarming. This "first $4,000 free" thing is what gets me, because as usual they're trying to pass it off as a benefit that you choose to work for. Not the case here, you are required to do it, and as reimbursement you will receive the measly sum of $4,000 in education credit, that's good enough to get you into a low-rent community college. Thanks big government!

I know that there are a lot of people out there that will agree with this and proclaim it to be the beginning of a more responsible society that shows good will toward others, but we have to realize and accept that the government does not and should not own our lives. To force you to do even good things for someone else is a form of slavery. Yes, that might be a harsh word for it but the shoe fits. I suppose high school students will have the choice to simply drop out if they wish not to participate, but that's not realistically a choice for most. No matter how it may be sugar-coated, this compulsory service is unjust and illegal. Forced work no matter the name or the cause is servitude. The Constitution is very clear on this matter;

Thirteenth Amendment - Section 1. "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime where of the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."

This should strike us as another attempt to grab more control and rule over the citizens. There is a great age-old proverb that we should be more familiar with;

"Any power that can be abused will eventually be abused by someone."

It doesn't take a power-monger hell bent on world domination to abuse power and infiltrate the lives of peaceable citizens. As our nation shifts closer and closer toward Socialism you will begin to see this happen in often discreet and "innocent" ways, as we've seen for the last seven years, probably for the "good of the country". They'll dress it up with nice words in order to give you a warm fuzzy about this invasion into your life, and some people will take the bait not realizing that they've been hooked. Just words though.

Let's not overlook the Conservatives' contributions to our wordy dilemma.

Conservative

Here is the definition of Conservatism according to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary;

a: a disposition in politics to preserve what is established. b: a political philosophy based on tradition and social stability, stressing established institutions, and preferring gradual development to abrupt change; specifically: such a philosophy calling for lower taxes, limited government regulation of business and investing, a strong national defense, and individual financial responsibility for personal needs (as retirement income or health-care coverage)."

"Such a philosophy calling for lower taxes, limited government regulation of business". That's interesting, we just had a "Conservative" President leave office and he sponsored a $700 billion bailout of banks and creditors whose businesses failed due to poor management, yet if you or I were to make the same poor business decisions we would not be bailed out. Let's not forget that he also overruled Congress and gave almost $15 billion to the auto industry when that first bailout specifically stated that it would not go to the auto industry.

After the bailout Mr. Bush stated;

"I've abandoned free-market principles to save the free-market system, to make sure the economy doesn't collapse."

That's a cute sentiment, he's completely wrong in that it will save the free market, in fact by the very nature of this action destroys the free market, but I digress.

Social Security is another program that, although many Conservatives disagree with the program, no one has put up much of a fight against it for years other than Texas Congressman Ron Paul. The Social Security Act was enacted in 1937 in order to....you guessed it, provide retirement income, exactly what "Conservatives" disagree with. Social Security is a hideously expensive, unfunded program. Unfunded, being that the money you pay into it now does not go into an account that you'll draw from when you retire. The money you pay now goes to current retirees, and your money will come from workers when you become a retiree, which for your sake better be in the next handful of years.

If you were to throw out a large dollar amount for one government program to consist of, what would you say? $10 billion? $100 billion? $300 billion? Those are large numbers indeed. Try this $657.3 billion. That's what we spent on Social Security, just in 2008. That accounted for 37% of federal spending. 37% is a lot, especially considering that half of the people paying into it now are expected to receive this amount....$0. According to current estimates, it's expected that by 2040 every single cent the government takes in will be spent on Social Security. Clearly that can't happen, so more than likely they'll end up cutting it before that generation reaches retirement age. A good thing for those in their 20s and 30s is that we've only paid into it for our entire working lives thus far and will receive nothing....we should be glad we have that to look forward to.

During prosperous times parents are much more likely to sacrifice their children's future in order to maintain the prosperity they now enjoy. During poor times parents are much more likely to sacrifice their own well being in order to provide for their children's future. It's much easier to not want when you don't have much. It is much harder to not want when you have everything. This is exactly what has happened in America, instead of bucking up and realizing that this broken system may need fixing, our parents, grand parents, and possibly great grand parents have sacrificed our futures in order to provide for their present. Although many people don't know it, the first recipients of Social Security payments did not pay anything into it. They simply collected checks and allowed the next generation the burden to provide for them. Ever since it has snow-balled into what we now have.

I don't denounce those who have paid into Social Security for seeking the money they've paid. They've lived with that burden and should receive what they've given, but a system of weaning off of it is clearly required if we are ever to break that cycle.

End State 

 So here we are with two parties that have either completely separated themselves from their ideals or we have a bunch of politicians who simply attach words to rhetoric in order to pursue their own agendas.  Some of those words amongst others, being "Liberal" and "Conservative".  According to our definitions neither of those apply to either party currently, in fact the "Libertarian Party" fits the descriptions of both of those terms more than the parties themselves.

Sound monetary policy, individual responsibility, free market concepts, limited government, and the gold standard. All of these are tenets of Libertarianism, yet naivety and ignorance cause so many to scoff at these claims and denounce them as "Radicals" or "Constitution Huggers". An enormous segment of the American population has allowed themselves to fall prey to one of the most basic of political maneuvers; rhetoric.

It's a classic scenario, a brave politician comes in promising change and inspiring hope in so many people, and God bless them for having that hope, but they allow themselves to be diverted by the endless barrage of rhetoric. They've thrown the word "Democracy" around so much that we actually believe in it. America was not, and has never been founded on democracy. It's actually a terrible form of governing. Six out of ten people vote to execute the other four. That's democracy in action, it may not be so severe and diabolical all the time, but it very easily can become that with....simple words.

Three of the most common words regarding our political process have become so distorted, purposely, by politicians who seek to slide their agendas by us and we've barely noticed it. I'm outraged by how often we hear these words thrown around in order to back whatever it is they trying to promote at any given time.

So long we have conquested to spread "Democracy" around the world at the point of a gun and we don't even practice it. "Conservatives" throw their names behind tax hike after tax hike in order to justify it, when a liberal does this the "Conservatives" shriek bloody murder. "Liberals" beg for more and more government regulation of the market and denounce gold as a viable form of currency, both policies wreaking havoc on our economy and leading us ever closer to economic extinction.

These simple words are not meaningless and petty; they are of the utmost importance. Leaders of the political parties understand the power of word association and use them to manipulate their "subjects" into supporting their often vile policies. They understand that people are compelled to stand by their beliefs and hence, party affiliation, even when those parties betray their ideals and they use this to great advantage. This is why it is crucial to understand the meaning behind words and the power they have to distort. If we can begin to accept this principle then we may actually vote politicians into office on policies and not based off of word association. A Conservative does not have to vote for a "Conservative" just because they call themselves that, the same is true for Liberals and all other ideologies. Don't accept the rhetoric and drivel that we've grown so accustomed to, stand up and hold people accountable for their words. Demand more of the people who demand more and more from you and we just may get the change that we so desire.

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©2009 Aaron Emery, all rights reserved. You must have written permission from the author in order to republish this work.
Published: Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Last modified: Monday, February 9, 2009

The views expressed in this article are those of Aaron Emery only and do not represent the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. Aaron Emery is solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.

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