Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness

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.
- Declaration of Independence

If one statement could sum up what ideals the United States of America has been founded upon, it is the statement above. This is what the American Dream is all about: Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. The house with the yard and the white picket fence is simply a concrete image of these in action. The house contains a family with children, made safe by the laws of the white picket fence, where the family can dwell in peace and happiness.

Mr. Jefferson was genius in penning that statement. Not only were those virtues chosen properly, but they are inherently interlinked and ordered. Life is the fundamental right. Without the right to life, there can be no liberty nor pursuit of happiness. Without a right to life, he is a slave, and liberty cannot exist. Without a right to life, man can be snuffed out by another. Without a right to life, man's life is lived in fear. Liberty safeguards life and and the pursuit of Happiness. When a man is free, he is his own master. He is not a slave to another. He is not a slave to his debts. He is not a slave to his passions. He is not a slave to an employer, and he is not a slave to the state. This freedom allows him to pursue happiness. Without life and liberty, there can be no happiness.

However, what comes along with those rights are responsibilities. In order to respect life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, I cannot violate those rights in others. I cannot kill another, I cannot make another my slave, I cannot will the misery of another. Furthermore, because my life is my own, I have the responsibility to work for sustaining myself. I have the responsibility to pursue happiness on my own. I can certainly work with others, but must do so in ways that respect those fundamental rights that we each possess.

Unfortunately, this is something many in our great country have forgotten. These ideals can only exist together, and when you remove one, the others shall surely fall. The most fundamental breach of these ideals is that of abortion. It masquerades as pursuing happiness, but, in doing so, violates the life and liberty and pursuit of happiness of the most innocent and defenseless among us. This is not meant to be a tirade against the horrors of abortion, so I shall go on. There are many among us who have no desire to work for themselves, and many who have enabled them to do just that. Under the guise of protecting life, these people perpetually take money from those who responsibly work for themselves and give that money to those who do not. I am not speaking here of those who are truly unable to work because of physical or mental impairment, but those who are lazy, or, worse yet, dishonest.

The worst part is that many have been intentionally twisting the law away from these ideals. Instead of seeing the law as a practical application of a set of ideals, a practical application of a philosophy of life that is represented in our founding fathers, these people see the law as a tool to further their own ends, philosophy or ideals be damned. They will sell their vote or argue untruth or rule dishonestly if it benefits themselves. Many times, it is the very people that we entrust with our liberty and our tax money that are taking these things for themselves.

What are we to do?