Freedom is a word that is thrown around all the time but how many times have you thought about what it really means? There are many definitions for freedom; but I am going to focus on the philosophy, what it has meant to the United States of America, and the antithesis of this philosophy. According to dictionary.com the philosophy is “the power to exercise choice and make decisions without constraint from within or without; autonomy; self-determination.” I think this describes freedom well and this simple sentence explains why America has grown to be the great country it is today.

President Obama doesn’t believe this country is great and he doesn’t believe in freedom. I know what you’re thinking, how can I say that? Look at the policies put forth by the President. Every one of them goes against the ideals the country was founded on. This is why Mr. Obama wants to “remake” America; he sees the country as flawed and blames America for many of the problems in the world. I think the President looks at freedom with disdain because he believes the government is the answer to all of our problems; not the individual. To further his agenda, free thinking Americans must be silenced because they shine a spotlight on his intentions and clarify the misinformation that is being disseminated. In order for his goal of an overbearing nanny state to be realized, freedom must be taken from the individual. When the individual is stripped of freedom and forced to live in a tyrannical state, the individual loses his or her will to strive for an improved lot in life. The result of this is that creative and productive individuals either stop producing; or they leave for a place that will reward their activities. Because there isn’t anywhere left on the planet to get away from oppressive government, it is more likely that our producers will cut back on production and those that can retire will; causing the country to slide toward mediocrity. The more freedoms we lose, the more the country as a whole will suffer.

The President likes to talk about everyone pulling together for the common good, everyone doing their part. His idea of how this is accomplished and mine are completely different. His idea is actually an old one, “from each according to his ability to each according to his need” from Karl Marx in 1875. Mr. Obama wants to confiscate money from the “rich” by taxing them at exorbitant rates and redistribute the money to the poor. He came right out and said this during the campaign in an off-teleprompter moment with Joe the Plumber so we know for a fact this is what he believes. I believe, along with many other Americans, we don’t need government to pull everyone together for a greater good.  We need government to get out of the way and allow individuals to work for their own sake. When individuals are given the freedom to reach their fullest potential the result is the betterment of society without violating the individual’s rights by confiscating their money. If the government creates an environment that fosters productivity and growth, a majority of individuals will use this to their advantage and progress will be realized. If the government institutes policy that hinders the individual in the name of progress we will instead see a regression in society. People are born inherently free and they operate more efficiently in a free environment. Because this is the case when you have a free society of productive individuals, the result is what Obama claims he wants if you take his words literally. Of course, the means to his end is through oppression of the productive not through a free society.

Why has America soared to such great heights while other countries languish in mediocrity? I think history tells the story and the fact is freedom for the individual citizenry in America has created the greatest country ever known to man. Socialism, Fascism and Communism have all failed to create anything even close to the greatness of America because those philosophies are unsustainable and destined for failure from the start. They go against human nature and that is their downfall. I’m afraid that if the Obama administrations policies are allowed to take root the United States will slowly regress from the exception country it once was and become a country no better than the ones in Europe and Asia. Unfortunately for all of us I think this is exactly what President Obama is striving for, a mediocre America.