Bedrock

“ Give a man a fish and feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime .” History shows that the United States stands for two things—individual freedom to achieve and a willingness to lend a hand. Our Judeo-Christian heritage created Americans who were rugged but compassionate individualists, people who worked hard, turned dreams into reality, and generously shared their good fortune. Such people were no more perfect or sinless than any other, but the prevailing American character was, for nearly 2 centuries, was an achiever who willingly sought to share, not just from his prosperity, but from its source in freedom and opportunity. Today, some heirs of such entrepreneurs like to deny the legacy of capitalism, liberty, and generosity. They remind me of the story about a new minister who visited a farmer in his congregation. As he took in the bountiful fields and evident prosperity, the minister remarked, “God has given you a wonderful farm.” The man...

“ 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 sentence from the Declaration of Independence has been a guiding principle for our American way of life. Of course, those who wrote it have been attacked as hypocrites for failing to reject African slavery, for regarding women as inferior, and for other kinds of social inequality. It is obvious from history, however, that they were well ahead of other cultures and that the United States, despite its detractors, remains well ahead of most today. In Jabari Asim’s recent review of Stephen Carter’s novel New England White , I read, “ And yet Carter's ambitious black achievers are constantly running up against the limits their skin imposes. In the lily-white 'burbs where his characters scheme and toil, African American homeowners are denied access to residents-only...

I started this essay almost two months ago, during the Don Imus flap. Posting it now may seem to make it out of date, but there will always be issues like this unless we restore our sense of genuine freedom of speech. The incidents that have destroyed people’s careers and lives have been numerous since the advent of political correctness, although judging people’s thoughts on the basis of careless words isn’t new. What makes it scarier is the evident hypocrisy of media and political elites, who condemn their adversaries but ignore their allies, people like Rosie O’Donnell. Equally disturbing is their desire to impose “fairness” to silence plainly political opposition, when it is their voices that dominate much of the traditional media. In reality, free speech cannot be adjudicated or balanced, simply because the founders already established the standard we follow. The first amendment to the U. S. Constitution says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religio...

“You can’t fight city hall!” is an old refrain, referring to the power of local government. Many have said that it isn’t true, but fighting and winning has never been easy. Cities have only gotten bigger, and their government machinery more powerful and insular. Those are just the cities, but the governments of states and ultimately the federal government are far larger, more entrenched, and remote from the people. When they act, or fail to act, as they should or as the people desire, they are even more difficult to fight. A case in point is the Kennedy-McCain Immigration bill, supported by President Bush and much of the Democratic leadership; this is clearly a “city hall” type endeavor that most of the ordinary citizens do not want! The idea of “limited government” is the basis of the U. S. Constitution and America’s original form of government. Unfortunately, we have moved far from that mandate. The more powerful the government becomes, the less free the people are. How power...