As we live our lives as Americans it is worth reflecting on where we came from. Our country started with boundless hope for a better tomorrow and a vast supply of new land and freedom to make our lives into whatever we might choose. We were led by great statesmen such as Ben Franklin, George Washington,Thomas Jefferson and Samuel Adams whose lives were devoted to the principles that all men are created equal and that freedom comes from God and not the will of men. Statesmen who gave us the Constitution as a guide to maintain our freedom and preserve our prosperity.

We have had several bumps in the road to where we are today, some we should be proud of, and others that should bring us shame and a change in our future direction.  Our government has been on the wrong side of many decisions in foreign and domestic affairs.The way our country was stolen from the Native Americans is deplorable as well as the enslavement of African-Americans. As a nation we have formed alliances with and supported the likes of Saddam Hussein, Manuel Noriega and Osama Bin Laden only to find later that the enemy of our enemy is not necessarily our friend. Instead of being a beacon for freedom and democracy we have used our military and wealth to try to buy or force compliance of our will on foreign powers. This intrusion into foreign governments is seen as arrogance by the rest of the world and causes hatred and mistrust of Americans. Only when America promotes freedom and democracy by being a shining beacon of fairness and tolerance for diversity will the rest of the world respond favorably. Consider how you would feel having foreign troops on United States soil in any capacity of authority. Would you not feel as though you were at war or at least resentful? We have no right to push our agenda on any other country. Our military should only be used in defense of our nation or nations in alliance with us, never as a tool to promote our agenda.

This country began with vast untapped riches of timber, iron, oil and agricultural land. With entrepreneurial freedom and the right to own property came a boom of growth and innovation. We quickly became the envy of the rest of the world as a monetary superpower and products made in America were sought throughout the world. Now we have become a nation of consumers of foreign products with an unpayable debt to foreign powers and an economy on the verge of collapse. We have so many regulations governing everything from how much water we can use to flush our toilets to what light bulbs are acceptable it is almost impossible for small business and consumers to comply and only partially enforceable due to the complexity and sheer number of rules and regulations that are currently part of our legal system. We have so many laws our government admits they are uncountable, yet thousands more pages of law are passed every year, and most limit our freedom or restrict business in some way or give special interest an advantage over another party. While it is right and good for government to protect us from fraud and promote an even playing field among business, it is wrong for government to favor one business over another. Interference and regulation drive the cost up for consumers and stifle innovation. Free enterprise can and will solve most economic problems in society if left to self regulate. The better mousetrap will prevail and the consumer will choose the best product at the best price and if a product or service cannot compete it would be replaced with a better more effective product or service. Companies would change with the needs of consumers or be replace with companies more in line with current needs or wants.

Our country was started on the principle that hard work and innovation were the essence of success. The principle that education builds a better society and furthers innovation. People in this country are our greatest asset, but only when they accept responsibility for their own successes and failures. It is not the job of government to take care of those capable of caring for themselves and arguable those that can’t. Before the social welfare systems of today local charities and churches accepted that role and were quite successful. While I would not care to draw a line as to how much social welfare we should maintain as a society, it is worth noting that a large percentage of Americans are not vested in how the government spends its tax revenue. We have a progressive tax structure that heaps the lions share of government expenses onto the wealthiest of Americans and lets the poorest have no income taxes and some even have a negative income tax where they receive more of a refund than they paid. As long as we have people voting on how our government spends tax money that do not pay into the system, we will have uncontrolled spending by our leaders in Washington. The progressive tax also contributes to the idea that those who pay more should have more influence on our representatives. Those representatives who would vote to limit government spending are quickly voted out as being against the poor, yet the money currently spent by our government on social programs is unsustainable. Representatives who do not lend an ear to the wealthiest in society quickly lose funding for relection.This has led us to a fiscal cliff and little hope to survive the economic future with any resemblance to our present prosperity and the entire burden of debt placed on the shoulders of the youngest Americans.

Ron Paul was a visionary who saw these problems in society and tried to fix them. He was an outspoken opponent of government excess and a tireless champion of freedom and the Constitution of the United States. These are the things that led to his popularity as a public servant and to the growing number of people who support smaller government and more freedom. Congressman Paul you are a great statesman and will be surely missed. It is my hope and prayer that you have inspired more people to become statesmen and to further your love for freedom and prosperity in America. Thank you and God bless you Ron Paul for your service to America and Americans.

Congressman Paul’s farewell to Congress speech can be read at :

http://paul.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2025&Itemid=60

Or watched at:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/28/ron-paul-democratic-party_n_2206788.html

Randy Johnson

itsmycontrytoo.org