By Eddie R. Dunlap | Published Thursday, November 5, 2009
It is better to remain quiet and have people thought you a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. Such a quote must be foreign to Ken Hughes after his rant in the Oct. 29 issue of the Wise County Messenger.
I believe Mr. Hughes' compassion for his fellow man to be sincere and well founded; however, I also believe his methodologies are fundamentally in error. Charity for our fellow man is honorable. In fact, it is expected from any civilized society. A civilized society is one where the individual is charitable secondary to that individual's sense of social obligation. Sincere obligations come from within, not from governmental mandates, assessments or taxation.
Mr. Hughes mentioned analogies; henceforth, I would wish him to consider another analogy. The Holy Bible is the greatest gift of God to man. It should be used as a rule and guide to govern our lives. Messages of peace and guidance fill the text. America's founding fathers cannot be analogized to God; however, I do believe they were divinely-inspired. Those founders had experienced the wrath of theocratic mandates and desired a nation of liberty where man, guided by divine goodness, could benefit from the fruits of his own labor without tyrannical oversight.
The Constitution of the United States of America is the Holy Bible for our republic. As long as its commandments are followed, our nation is impenetrable to the assault of those who wish to rule the will of the individual. The Bill of Rights restricts the powers of the federal government. The 10th amendment guarantees those powers not exclusively given to the federal government are reserved for the states, or the people. Our nation prospered while the Constitution was followed. Please remember, the charity of America is second to none and is evident in every world crisis. Americans have demonstrated their charity again and again. It is not and should not be "The Government of the United States" that demonstrates charity, but its people.
Social Security and Medicare are phenomenal social programs that reach many in need; however, the mandates, assessments and taxation required to fund these worthy endeavors are not provisions of the Constitution. As such, Social Security and Medicare are but a few of the governmental mandates and edicts that will eventually lead to our nation's failure. A government subsidized health care system is another example of a well-intended social program not provided by the Constitution, and such will weaken the nation.
