Freedom

Freedom remains the sole basis for American society as we know it. Without freedom the great nation of America would have never been founded. To understand the true principles of freedom, one must understand the scope of the word. Philosophical freedom encompasses the ability to make choices without restraints, while political freedom is the state of being free rather than in physical confinement. Despite the importance of these ideas to our founding fathers, freedom has lost much of its importance in modern American society. The failure to stress the importance of freedom has diminished the quality of life for the entire American populous

Positive liberty is the freedom for one to become all one can (Postive Liberty). This idea can be considered, in general, a totalitarian principle because leaders following this ideology often believs it is within their realm to force the citizens to become all they can be. But this could also be considered democratic through governmental programs such as welfare, affirmative action, and many others created to better society. Yet negative liberty, is the primary one we want in our lives. However negative liberty is the freedom from the constraints that limit us (Negative Liberty). In sharp contrast to the totalitarian principles of positive liberty, negative liberty is based more on libertarian principles in which the government takes the backseat allowing people to thrive through their own actions. A real world view of this would be the Conservative principle of laissez-faire, an idea that the government should stay away from enacting laws that limit buisness. Liberty constitutes a small principle in the immense ideals of American freedom. Even though Positive liberty seems like a negative thing when combined with the ideals of Negative liberty a prosperus society can be created.

To understand the importance of freedom in American society, we must go back to the beginning: the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson framed the constitution around the concepts set forth by John Locke, the father of liberty. The Declaration of Independence created a way to free ourselves from the injustices done upon us by the English monarchy. This document set forth the basis of what a government can reasonably do to protect and tax its citizens, before being beyond the appropriate scope of its power. When the government exceeds this power one must consider this an infringement on freedom. This governmental basis becomes extenuated in the Bill of Rights, the foundation of the US constitution. The Bill of Rights remains the true source of our freedoms as American. These freedoms include speech, religion etc. These freedoms were “to be held dear” by all members of our society. As a result off the plasticity of these amendments, the American elitists can interpret these for their own ideas.

Since the beginning of America, Elitists have found a way to hinder the lower and middle classes involvement in government through the enormous amount of money required to create a successful

election campaign. Taking on an elected role in government is supposed to be a freedom every member of society can achieve, but with the fiscal importance of campaigning it is not possible. In the 2004 election campagins alone, canidates spent $144 million dollars out of their own pocket. ('04 Elections Expected to Cost Nearly $4 Billion) As displayed by the Bush family, these elitists continue their stronghold on American government. If the lower to middle classes can’t find a way to break the barriers that bar them from governmental participation, their quality of life will remain vastly behind that of the elitist. To break these barriers the citizens must resort to using the principles guaranteed to them through both the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. Positive Liberty allows us as citizens to bring ourselves to become the best we can, which destroys class barriers completley. While Negative Liberty allows us to in any manner possible liberate ourselves from this lack of freedom. One day in regards to a situation like ours, Jefferson said “Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny” (Thomas Jefferson Quotes). In high ranking offices, lower and middle class elected officials would be able to take stands to protect their peers, not the big buisnesses that are being protected now.

This “ruling class” has also enacted laws that protect only their interest. In 2001 the Bush administartion created a pakage to eliminate the estate tax, which applies