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Michael Quinn Sullivan Commentary
Losing the Revolution
Dear Friend,
Rarely does a government committee produce much of substantive value, poetic or
otherwise. Just check out the Internal Revenue Code
Or the
state's new business tax. Convoluted. Expensive. Uninspiring.
And yet at just the right moment in history, just the right men were in just the
right place. Their committee worked, huddled in inns, halls and taverns, to
produce what has been the most important -- and beautiful -- political document
in the history of the world, the
Declaration of Independence. (One signer was an ancestor of mine, Dr.
Benjamin Rush, representing Pennsylvania in the Continental Congress.)
Sacred Honor
He and his colleagues signed their names to a bold document that stood against
the tide of history. They rejected not just King George, but the notion that
people are granted rights by government. They declared rights are inalienable,
endowed by the Creator. Governments exist solely to secure those rights.
In making such a declaration, they didn't just sign their names to some
political flyer. They signed away their "Lives," "Fortunes" and "sacred Honor."
This was not a poetic construct. Their lives were truly at stake they were
wanted men. Many had already gone irrevocably into debt to pay for the
revolution, or would soon do so. And if their side lost, each man knew his "sin"
would stain his family name for generations to come; that's what happens to
traitors.
Political Courage?
We talk a lot of about politicians having courage. How silly! Today's elected
official might have their "political life" on the line following some vote or
other but that's a tad different than knowing you would be hung for treason
against the king.
What has happened to our revolutionary spirit?
We pay nearly half of our income for government, directly or indirectly. In
Texas, our property is re-purchased from government every 30 or so years, and
our taxes double every seven years. Entrepreneurs face unimaginable legal and
tax hurdles when starting or expending their endeavors. Commitment to an issue
or position is measured by government spending. Even the best politicians talk
about the "cost" of letting the people keep their own money. And the worst make
us feel guilty of gross injustice or bad planning simply for suggesting tax
cuts are appropriate in times of economic plenty.
The Boston Tea Party protested taxes that made the price of tea artificially
high. Today, the biggest profit-taker on a gallon of gasoline is government. The
subprime mortgage mess came about, in part, thanks to Congress' Community
Reinvestment Act, which incentivized banks to make bad loans. Rather than
allowing market solutions and private action, lawmakers' very often exacerbate
existing problems or create new ones through the unintended (or intended)
consequences of legislative meddling.
We Will Win!
All is not lost; far from it. There are strong, liberty-minded men and women who
vote with our beliefs and keep their political hides. It is possible,
contrary to what government-growers say, to be both principled and elected.
Long-term victory requires long-term commitment. The War of Independence
certainly wasn't won on July 4, 1776. Even though hostilities with England ended
in 1781, the battle wages on today. The same mindset opposed to individual
liberty in 1775 works against us in 2008. Today they are called "liberals" or
"progressives"; yet there is nothing liberal or progressive about
them. They yearn for the days before the Declaration; they are reactionaries
pining for the government power our forefathers sought to limit.
The Left wants what once was, while we on the Right yearn for what has never
fully been. We have seen clearly the devastating consequences of power
consolidated in government, even when done with the "best" of intentions. And we
know the promise of liberty has never been completely realized even on our
shores.
Ours must be a relentless commitment to the timeless principles of liberty. We
must defend life and property with unrestrained vigor. As those patriots did in
1776, let us commit our lives, fortunes and honor to unapologetically shining
the torch of freedom brightly in this generation.
For Texas,
Michael Quinn Sullivan