America is clearly divided. There are two distinct and opposite visions for the United States. The road we travel is still in the hands of the American voter, so it is critical they understand the differences and vote accordingly for the nation they want for themselves and future generations of Americans. The distinction between the visions is not new, it is the same differences that societies have faced from the beginning of time, the same distinction our founders faced after they won the War for Independence and set about the task of forming a new nation and establishing a government for that nation. The founders chose the vision that had not been tried much in the past and that is the reason their choice is referred to as the “great American experiment.” In today’s America, the voter is being told that the “great American experiment” has failed and America should revert to the ways of the past, the ways our founders specifically rejected.
The founders chose the path referred to as Individualism and refused the path that was so prominent in the world both prior to the American Revolution and even after the American Revolution, the path of Collectivism. These two paths are the exact opposite of each other. The differences are great but can be broken into four broad categories. The first category is “Rule of Law.” The basis of this category is who will be the final arbitrator of the law. All societies must operate under some form of laws to maintain some order within that society. This is crucial and necessary because some people refuse to adhere to the basic principle of a peaceful society that they do not have a right to the property of others. The individualist and thus the founders, said the United States would be a nation under “rule of law.” The United States was established on the basis that the Constitution, as it was written, is the ultimate law of the land. All law must be written and made public. All law must be applied as it is written. All law must be applied the same regardless of the political, societal, or economic status of those involved. The Collectivist believes that all law should be flexible depending upon the situation. They believe that government has the right and the duty to adjust the law to accomplish what they believe to be in the best interest of the collective at that time. This application of law is referred to as “arbitrary law.” “Arbitrary law” has as its core principle that the law is a tool to be used to achieve a specific purpose such as should we or should we not confirm a certain individual to the Supreme Court. The Collectivist believes that the core principle of where the burden of proof lies can be adjusted in this specific situation to achieve the specific end of denying confirmation, if it is determined that is in the best interest of the collective. The second category is size of government. Will government be limited and fulfill the function of servant, or will government be dominant and fulfill the function of dictating how the citizens are to live their lives and what their thoughts are to be. Our founders chose the Individualist belief that government is be the servant of the people. The founders wrote into the Constitution the specific functions “we the people” would give to the federal government, and then in the Bill of Rights, the Tenth Amendment we told the federal government that we did not forget any functions we wished for them but intended they perform only those functions listed. Everything else we said would be reserved for ourselves and our states. The Collectivist believes that the role of government should not be limited but should always be extended to what the Collectivist believes is in the best interest of the Collective. The Collectivist beliefs that the proper role of the government is to tell each citizen what role they are to play in society and what their thoughts should be. The Collectivist believes that it is critical for the government to control for instance education so they can indoctrinate the population into understanding their role and that government is always supreme because government brings about a just and equal society. The Collectivist believes in total conformity because any non-conforming thought or action causes disharmony and causes upheaval in a harmonious society that is totally conforming and totally equal socially, politically, and economically. The third category is divided government. The Individualist believes that divested power is always more desirous than consolidated power. The more divided government is the less chance there is that government will have the power to dictate how the citizens are to live their lives and what their thoughts are to be. Our founders divested power between the federal government and the state governments and then divested the power of the federal government even more by creating three independent branches of government. The founders gave each branch specific duties and made it very clear that only the legislative branch was to have the authority to make laws. The founders understood the legislative branch was closest to the people and that the people should be in control of the laws under which they wanted to live. The Collectivist believes that power and authority should be consolidated so that the process of legislating is more easily controlled and can be quicker to react to perceived needs by the elite as to what is the best interest of the collective. The Collectivist has supported the unconstitutional role of the Judiciary Branch as a legislator to the point where what the Constitution defines as a ruling, is now determined to be the law of the land and has even proposed that the Legislative Branch would not have the power to overturn sacred rulings of the Judiciary Branch. The result has been that power has been consolidated within what was intended to be the least powerful branch by the founders. The fourth category is who is to be ultimate sovereign of our nation. When our founders declared our independence in 1776, they stated in the Declaration of Independence that our basic rights come from the ultimate sovereign of our nation, our Creator. The ultimate sovereign is always the final authority in any society. Prior to the Declaration of Independence, civilized society recognized that government was the ultimate sovereign. In some instances, ultimate sovereignty was in the form of an individual, and in a few societies, it was in the form of an oligarchy. Our founders said in the United States of America, government had no authority over our natural rights given to us by our Creator which included but was not limited to life, liberty, and property or what they phrased as the pursuit of happiness. The Collectivist believes that government, in whatever form, is always the ultimate sovereign and thus has complete and final authority over all rights, including what we term as natural rights including life, liberty, and property or the pursuit of happiness. The Collectivist believes that if they determine it is in the best interest of the collective to extinguish the life of a child before that child leaves the mother’s womb because that child might be an inconvenience, then it is within the right of government, because government is ultimately sovereign and has the authority to deny life to that human. The Collectivist believes that because government is ultimate sovereign, all property, including the work and production of the individual, belongs to the collective and the collective has the right and authority to determine what portion, if any, of their production each individual is allowed to retain. The Collectivist allows believes that all real property is under the domain of the collective and the owner, or what the collective would define as the occupier, of that property is only allowed to do with that property what the government believes is in the best interest of the collective. Another difference between the Individualist and the Collectivist is how they perceive the world in general. The Individualist believes that we are all individuals and should be judged on the content of our character and not the color of our skin, our nationality, or our religion. The Collectivist believes that we are not to be viewed as individuals but are to be regarded as part of a larger group such as a part of the black, brown, or white community. In America the Collectivist has stated for instance, if you are a part of the black community, you are incapable of competing with those in other groups because your intellect and/or work ethic is inferior. Therefore, it is the responsibility of government to grant special advantages and treatment based solely on the color of your skin with no regard to the content of your character. These are the core principles that divide our nation today. Our founders chose the route of Individualism. We are being told by the Collectivist that choice is a colossal failure. How you view that choice made by the founders will determine how you cast your vote. If you view the American Experiment as a success, you will vote for the Individualists, who are referred to as conservatives. If you view the American Experiment as a colossal failure and wish to return the Collectivist philosophy, you well cast your vote for a Collectivist, or what is referred to as a Progressive or Liberal. THE CHOICE IS YOURS.
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June 2023
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