In
1964, an actor named Ronald Reagan stunned a Los Angeles crowd with a
magnificent defense of human liberty, voluntary association, and American
Exceptionalism. He loved America, unlike most of Hollywood’s elite today.
Reagan grew up in the Midwest as a Democrat. He moved to Hollywood and became a
conservative Republican. Why did he change?
As Reagan
pointed out in his speech, the Democratic Party walked away from its roots in Jefferson,
Jackson, and Cleveland. The party was moving “down the road in the image of the
labor Socialist Party of England.” One does not have to be a declared
“socialist” to believe that history can only move “forward.” Instead of directly
imposing socialism on a people, their party believes in the benevolent State
that promises extraordinary benefits and programs with no real costs, except
money.
The
progressive ideology claims government activism can only increase the freedoms enjoyed by our citizens. So, government activism
becomes utilitarian, any mean is necessary to achieve the end of pure equality.
Therefore, government activism can only be patriotic; individual accomplishment
can only be greedy.
We
have an important choice this election. It is the same choice Reagan described
to his Los Angeles audience:
“You and I are told
increasingly we have to choose between a left or right. Well I'd like to
suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There's only an up or
down—up man's old-aged dream, the ultimate in individual freedom consistent
with law and order, or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism. And regardless
of their sincerity, their humanitarian motives, those who would trade our
freedom for security have embarked on this downward course.”
In
1964, Americans chose more government activism and less freedom. This election,
will we make the same mistake?
Today,
we live in a malaise of government programs. We have a mountain of debt without
a plan to pay it off. Instead of limited government and expanded freedoms, we
have unlimited government and deteriorating freedoms. We call America the citadel
of the free world, but are we truly free?
Alexis
de Tocqueville wrote in the 1830’s that America must love freedom more than
equality, because it’s easier to give up freedom, than cherish it. Freedom is
hard, because it requires restrain, active participation, and good moral
citizens to thrive. As English statesman Edmund Burke once said:
“But what is liberty without
wisdom and without virtue? It is the greatest of all possible evils; for it is
folly, vice, and madness, without tuition or restraint.”
The
foundation of freedom is human dignity, the unconditional love given to us as a
gift by our Creator. To rebuild our Republic, we must first rebuild our trust in
the Divine. To Reagan, conservatism was the ultimate defense of human dignity. Therefore,
good government must be built on the foundation of human dignity.
Our
opponents argue that we cannot go backwards. We must charge forwards and hope
for the best. There is a different word for backwards: restore.
What
if we restored our faith in Almighty God? What if we restored America to its
Founding principles? What if we restored our belief that all life is a sacred
gift? What if we restored our free market enterprise system? If we did, our Republic
would embark on a slow, but steady restoration towards greatness. But, in order
to do that, each American must ask this very question: Am I ready to make the tough
decisions?
If we
try to only restore our fragile economy, than we will most definitely fall
again. We must first restore the moral order in our Republic.
Every
political regime in human history has fallen when its people lose faith in
their traditions and mores. The Roman
Republic died when its citizens lost faith in republican virtues. As the Roman
statesman Cicero once wrote:
“Before our time, ancestral
morality provided outstanding men, and great men preserved the morality of old
and the institutions of our ancestors. But our own time having inherited the
republic like a wonderful picture that had faded over time, not only has failed
to renew its original colors but has not even taken the trouble to preserve at least
its shape and outlines.”
We
must not turn into a Republic in name only.
America
excels when government is limited and people are free. Free to serve the poor.
Free to volunteer at a veteran’s hospital. Free to worship God without
restrictions or mandates. Ronald Reagan articulated this very message in 1964.
He understood
that in order for our country to excel, the government’s actions must be
limited and defined. Government must do what it does well and respect its limits so civil society and families can
flourish on their own and achieve their God-given potential. Why is limited
government so important?
Without
limits, the State’s influence grows and disrupts
civil society and the sources of our country’s prosperity. As Reagan explained
during his speech:
“Now it doesn't require
expropriation or confiscation of private property or business to impose
socialism on a people. What does it mean whether you hold the deed to the—or
the title to your business or property if the government holds the power of
life and death over that business or property?”
Ronald
Reagan believed in the goodness of the American people, not the benevolent
state. His message was simple: We are an exceptional nation, but we are only
one generation away from losing our God-given rights.
Today,
the Democrats’ slogan is to “move forward.” They promise if they get four more
years, than our country will finally move in the right direction. They have no
plan, except charge forward and hope for the best. To them, a dignified life at
minimum must include a set of government benefits, not just a set of dreams.
This
election, there is a moral imperative that we elect good moral people to
represent us.
As
conservatives, we honor Ronald Reagan for many reasons. Ultimately, we honor him
because he always made the moral case
for his thoughts and actions. As Reagan put it:
“There is a simple
answer—not an easy answer—but simple: If you and I have the courage to tell our
elected officials that we want our national policy based on what we know in our
hearts is morally right.”
Let
us secure the rewards of liberty, rather than fail because the challenge was
too big.
Thank you and God Bless,
October 13 2012
