All Men Are Created Equal 

        One of the often-quoted lines from the Declaration of Independence is “All men are created equal.”  What did this mean to our founding fathers?  The complete sentence is; “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

        This seems pretty simple to me.  People have a “Right” to life and liberty as long as they don’t break the law or harm other people.  They also have a “Right” to the “Pursuit of Happiness”.   I never saw anything about people having a “Right” to any “Things”.  

        If people have the right to some minimal standard of living without working for it, we are talking socialism, not a free republic.  The political bureaucrats of the government are now making decisions for us.  Is that a free republic? 

        “The proper role of government is to protect equal rights, not provide equal things.”  This is a quote from The 5000 Year Leap.  I can’t say it any better. 

        I would recommend this book for anyone wanting a better understanding of how our country’s government was formed.  I am continually amazed at the intelligence and foresight of our founding fathers.  I wish we taught more of it in our schools.

       

        Most immigrants came to this country because they wanted the right to work, succeed, and make a better life.  They did not come because they were guaranteed “Things”, or some minimum standard of living. 

        We must not take away people’s ambition and work ethic.  We must take a closer look at our current welfare and entitlement policies.