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Sustaining Freedom in America

By Henry Lamb

Sustaining freedom in America is far too important to be left up to the politicians.  This fact was well understood by our founders, who constructed a system that requires the people to periodically elect representatives, at every level of government, to formulate public policies that govern society.

When people are actively involved in the election process, and send representatives to government bodies who share their views, then government is controlled by the people – as our founders envisioned.  When people get too busy to be involved, then politicians who become our representatives formulate policies to expand their power, prestige, and wealth – at the expense of the people.

Only about half of the American people bother to vote, and a scant handful of these people are actively involved in selecting and promoting candidates who actually reflect their own philosophy and point of view.  Consequently, our government – at every level – has drifted toward policies that tend to expand the power of government, and, necessarily, diminish the freedom of individuals.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

Kentucky is one of the more fortunate states, in that it has a disproportionate number of people who are actively involved in the processes of government.  Not all of those who are actively involved in the processes of government are government officials.  Many are ordinary citizens who care about America, about Kentucky, and, most importantly, about individual freedom.  These people tend to get acquainted, to form associations and organizations, and to work constructively together to achieve policy objectives through their governing bodies.

Jefferson county folks have been relieved of the odious Vehicle Emissions Testing system because many of these folks, working together,  told the  politicians that the people didn’t want the VET.  At least twice, the people of Kentucky have avoided political pressure to encumber the entire state with a top-down, sustainable-development-type, comprehensive planning law that embodied recommendations from the United Nation’s Agenda 21, and the Clinton-era President’s Council on Sustainable Development – because ordinary people worked together to stop the politicians from expanding government power.

It’s the people who have the power to control government, if they will only exercise it.  Ordinary people can do extraordinary things, when they work together.  Organizations such as Take Back Kentucky, which helps to coordinate the strategies and activities of dozens of other organizations, are filled with ordinary people who are doing extraordinary things.

One of the most important things that ordinary people can, and must do, is select the individuals they send to the various levels of government to represent them.  Because it is sometimes difficult the get to know all the candidates, it is helpful to have an organization such as Take Back Kentucky, to ask for help in knowing which candidates are most likely to reflect the philosophy and vision that promotes individual freedom, and who will retain his backbone, when elected.

If freedom is to be sustained in America, it must be sustained at every level of government by electing candidates who first, believe in the supremacy of individual freedom over the power of government, and who will most likely retain and demonstrate that belief while in office.   Not every race will have such a candidate.  If there is not a candidate dedicated to individual freedom in your district, then find one, or become a candidate yourself.

That’s what Terry Gray has done, in Kentucky House District 38.  There are other candidates in this race, some of whom are endorsed by the higher-up politicians, who want to assure that “their kind” continue to run the show, to continue to expand government power.  Terry is one of those people who is not content to just sit by, while the government continues to dictate how he and others must live.  He was not happy about having to sit in line and pay a fee for the privilege of letting a government employee stick a tester up his tail pipe.  So, he got involved to help bring an end to the VET.  He doesn’t like government dictating to business to not allow smoking in a private enterprise.  He doesn’t like government systematically dictating away the individual freedoms that have made America the greatest nation on earth.

He has decided to get involved in a more important way, so he can see that his love of freedom is considered in the shaping of state law and public policy.  More people who share Terry’s respect for individual freedom and love of this country should also step out and get involved, first with organizations such as Take Back Kentucky, or one of their affiliated groups, and then into the political arena, as a precinct worker, as a Party delegate, as a candidate.

Then, the rest of us should support these people, with our money, our time, and most of all, with our vote.  We cannot simply sit home and complain, and expect anything to change.  We can, however, get off the sofa, get to a community meeting somewhere, find candidates like Terry, get involved in their campaigns, put up yard signs, write a check whenever possible, take our family and friends to the voting place, and cast a vote for freedom – at every level of government.

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