OPINION:
America was born not by accident. Rather, it was conceived by deliberate design in order to guarantee freedom and liberty and create an environment that nurtures creativity, self-reliance and responsibility and protects individual property rights. It is not by accident that America generated the highest standard of living on the planet.
There is no doubt, however, that change is taking place. Instead of measuring the success of welfare programs by the decrease of participants, we promote, advertise and encourage participation in expanding entitlement programs. This environment nurtures dependency, dissuades self-reliance and personal responsibility, and punishes success by limiting income and affluence. Guaranteed sustenance from a beneficent master creates dependency and a comfort zone with a false sense of security. For the recipients, choosing self-reliance and self-sufficiency is not a priority; they are free from freedom.
Redistribution of wealth sounds like a noble goal. It arises from the political notion that property is social, not individual. If a person does not own what he or she creates and produces, then who does? If everyone owns everything and everyone’s wealth collectively, there will be continual conflicts about who gets what. The uniqueness and value of our Constitution is that it limits the power of government, whoever is in charge, and protects our individual rights and freedoms. Without the rule of law, we are subject to the rule of the mob.
The economic crisis cannot be ended without resolving the question of property rights. We must protect and respect the citizen’s property rights in the wealth and income they generate, recognizing they, and not others, rightly own what they have produced.
ED KONECNIK
Flushing, N.Y.
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