Both liberals and conservatives talk about freedom. We’re told Conservatives are against freedom because they don’t believe in abortion, don’t believe in homosexual "marriage," and many oppose pornography. We’re told liberals are against freedom because they believe the government should control our healthcare, what we eat, the use of our own land, what cars we drive, where we can pray, when we can speak out on campaigns as an organized citizen’s group, how much money we can give to political campaigns, what we can say regarding homosexuality, etc.
What this conversations leads me to conclude is that there are two types of freedom and which freedom prevails will determine what type of country we will be.
The first type of freedom is that enjoyed by people who are in a covenant. American government at its best represents an agreement among citizens where limited functions are given to the government, and there are a few rules of conduct that must be followed. It’s no coincidence that our constitution was written during a time when the Bible was far more prevalent in society, as the laws of the Bible were relatively few and quite simple. Thus, in what we’ll call Covenant freedom, we’re pretty much left to live our own lives within a few basic rules.
The second type of freedom was best defined by a commenter on ABC who responded to John Stossel’s excellent piece on Health Care by saying, “We have a fundamental disagreement. You believe that Americans can manage their own lives. I don’t.” And this idea defines liberal freedom. It’s the type of freedom that parents give to spoiled children. Spoiled children are rarely corrected for bad behavior towards others, more often than not, it’s the other’s fault and Mommy will take care of it. When it comes to sexual transgressions, not only can’t government ban extramarital relations and homosexuality (and as an aside I don’t think government should) but we as a society have no right to pass judgment on these behaviors. Illegitimacy, cohabitation, homosexual relationships, and serial no fault divorce should all be embraced as good.
This type of freedom is prevalent in Europe with an absurd calendar of holidays mandated by the government, a welfare state, and free health care for all in these countries. Of course, there’s a catch beyond even the sad effect this type of system has on the economy. The state, like the ultimate dysfunctional mother, spoils people with the goal that they remain children so that their lives may be controlled. Children are not qualified enough or well-developed to make their own choices. You certainly don’t let a child own a gun or purchase things that might not be the best for him or others. You also don’t give a child the right to say whatever he wants if it hurts someone else, because he’s just not mature enough to be able to handle that responsibly. These are rights for adults. The problem with leftist systems is that in the eyes of the state and our leftist overseers, we forever remain needy children.
Sadly, it appears that those of us in favor of adulthood are losing the fight. Even those who identify as a conservative find themselves identifying with elements of government paternalism. The allure of some for a society that condemns no behavior is appealing. For others, it's the idea of a government that micromanages our lives for our own good. Think of John McCain and his global warming crusade. Think of Mike Huckabee’s statement in favor of banning smoking from all public places. These men think we need government to save us from ourselves, tacitly conceding the other side's point.
The paternalistic state is on the rise, and it’s offering freedom. Our only hope is for Americans will read the fine print before its too late.
