An Open Letter to Americans

5 points to remember during the 2004 presidential campaign

By David L. Hunter

Published by Local Group

The presidential campaign is moving closer to General Election Day on November 2, 2004. From now until then you will hear all kinds of promises from presidential candidates. You will be awash with promises made by candidates from the Democratic and Republican parties. Yet it is important to keep in mind some basic points regarding America.

Point #1: America is not a religious state

Many of the original American colonists were religious; some were deeply religious with a strong belief in God. However, America’s Founding Fathers did not risk their lives in battle to establish a religious state. They sought to gain political independence from the British Crown. The US Constitution offers citizens the freedom to practice any religion of their choosing. But America is not a religious state; nor does it require citizens to be a member of the Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Shinto or any other religious faith. America is a place where citizens can live and work and pursue their own happiness. People who do not believe in God or religion have the same right to be Americans as religious people. Morality is a secular issue to be determined by a process of reason rather than through religious faith. Hence non-religious people can be and are moral citizens.

Point #2: America is not a mercantilist state

The founding spirit of America consisted of individual liberty and included the right of each citizen to conduct business without interference by the British government or the American government. But today a variant of European mercantilism is crippling the American economy—particularly tariffs, regulation of commerce, central banking, fiat money, taxation and regulated financial markets. Without exception, every nation that has adopted mercantilist policies such as America exhibits today has declined into insignificance or has collapsed. America does not need more government bureaucracies or more regulations or more fiat money or more transfer payments. The present and future viability of America requires the separation of economy and state so citizens can function in an economic capacity without being hindered or ruined by government. Americans should embrace the principles of laissez-faire capitalism if they want to avoid the dismal fate that befell the Roman Empire in 476 AD, the Weimar Republic in 1933 and the Soviet Union in 1991.

Point #3: America is based upon hard work not handouts

Early American pioneers knew that hard work was an unavoidable reality. They had no alternative; they had no one to loot in the name of Welfare or other social programs. Today citizens erroneously believe that big government has eliminated scarcity through the miracles of fiat money and transfer payments. Yet reality has not changed. Hard work is still the basic ingredient of progress, growth, success and happiness. Using the government apparatus of physical force to rob Peter to pay Paul is unjust even if it is done under the guise of Welfare or Social Security or Medicare. Using the government-banking apparatus to create money out of nothing is unjust even if laws sanction this. Fiat money gives politicians and their allies free money to spend; everyone else pays for this in the form of a rising cost of living and periodic market collapses. Remember that government handouts penalize production, reward laziness and will lead to the downfall of America. Hard work is what builds character and strength in citizens and in their country.

Point #4: America is a constitutional republic not a democracy

The United States of America formally came into existence in 1788 upon the ratification of the US Constitution. The US Constitution is the formal charter of America. Every American citizen is obliged to live under the conditions of the US Constitution. This means America is a nation governed by laws not men. Since its earliest days however America has had statesmen interpret the US Constitution in clever ways in an attempt to establish amendments that are contrary to the founding spirit of America. Like debasing the currency, the US Constitution gradually has been debased so that citizens now serve government rather than the other way around. This enables demagogic politicians to rise and manipulate the masses by appealing to popular sentiments to win a majority vote at the expense of minority groups, whose rights are then trampled. A democracy is characterized by majority rule at the expense of minority groups. This form of government is unstable. A constitutional republic by contrast protects the rights of all citizens and is stable.

Point #5: America is based on the premise of limited government

America’s Founding Fathers surveyed history and saw the dismal results of nations that had large, unchecked governments. They foresaw the horrors that would result from an unchecked American government. So they embraced the tripartite separation of powers as articulated by Charles De Montesquieu and John Locke. They also recognized the need for federalism—dividing powers amongst federal and state governments—to protect citizens from the arbitrary use of governmental power. Today however the spirit of delimited government in America has been replaced with the spirit of leviathan government. Yet leviathan government is responsible for the collapse of all nations throughout history. America is too precious a gift to allow it to collapse. Courageous and honorable men gave their lives to defend America. Delimiting government to the task of protecting individual rights will prevent the collapse of America.

Conclusion

Please remember the above points during the 2004 presidential campaign. When you hear candidates promise benefits to some groups of people, remember that those benefits will come at the expense of other groups of people. And remember that those transfer payments require invasive government that cripples the economy, weakens society and will trigger the collapse of America if left unchecked. Think about the brave men who fought and died to establish America. Think about your children or grandchildren or young relatives. By putting America on a viable path of long-term stability, the lives you save will be your own loved ones.

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