With Independence Day upon us, I am printing the Preamble of the Declaration of Independence. This elegant yet tense document was signed by men who were ready to lay their fortunes and their lives on the line for the cause of freedom. I wonder if I would be so courageous.
“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. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”
Recommended reading:
The Quest for a Perfect Credit Score at PT Money
Should You Form an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust? The Answer May Surprise You at Wealth Pilgrim
Dear Diary: What I Did on My Summer Vacation at Len Penzo dot com
401(k) Ripoff at Joe Taxpayer
Is Now a Good Time to Buy a Home? at Financial Bondage
Personal Finance is Not Always About Math at Ace of Wealth
4 Factors to Consider Before Doing a Roth IRA Conversion at Redeeming Riches
Why You Need a Budget at Faithful With a Few
Frugal (and other thoughts) From the Road at Gather Little by Little
Carnivals I have participated in this week:
Best of Money Carnival hosted by Debt Free Adventure
Yakezie Carnival hosted by Invest it Wisely
Carnival of Money Stories hosted by Sweating the Big Stuff
Christian Carnival hosted by RodneyOlsen.net
Baby Boomers Blog Carnival hosted by Baby Boomers US
Carnival of Financial Planning at Wealth Builder
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I like this part (I pasted below). The way I read it is that if the people are unhappy with the government, they have the right to alter or abolish it? I’m all for that.
“That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government”
Happy 4th Joe. thanks for the mention.
Arthur,
I think altering or abolishing the government requires a more noble motive than being unhappy with it. The purpose of government, according to the preamble, is to secure the “unalienable rights” (natural or God given rights) of Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness their Creator has endowed them with.
Our Founders believed that government was usurping from the people rights which only God could give and was therefore in direct conflict with the Creator himself. They believed their responsibility, indeed their duty, was to abolish such a government. For this cause, they were willing to fight and die.
To me, this is a sobering and challenging document. I wish we had leaders of such character and backbone today. A more pertinent point: I look in the mirror and ask myself, “What am I willing to fight and die for?”
Thanks for the link and mention Joe! Have a great holiday weekend!!
Let A Thousand Nations Bloom is doing a week of posts on secession, and they cover the American Revolution among other interesting topics. You can check it out at http://athousandnations.com/2010/06/28/secession-week-2010-independence-is-better-than-revolution/
Thanks for the link backs!
Kevin,
Thanks for the link to “Let a Thousand Nations Bloom”. Some heady stuff over there…maybe over my head, but thought provoking for sure.
Joe,
Thanks for the link and the mention! I really appreciate your support!
God bless you, and have a great holiday!
Just a quick hello and to thank you for expressing your ideas in this post. I mysteriously wound up here right after reading up on a bunch of celeb conditioning stuff over on Google… guess I lost track of what exactly I was initially doing! Well, I’m off and many thanks for writing your opinions. I’m going to be back again at some point to read your latest blogposts. Kudos!
Morph,
It is weird and sometimes providential how we end up where we end up. At any rate, I am glad you found my site and I appreciate your encouraging words. Don’t be a stranger!
Joe,
Thanks a lot of the mention here! Sorry again about the mix-up in my round up! Hope you and your family had a wonderful 4th of July weekend.
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