Comments on: The True Enemy of Freedom

By: loneloc

loneloc — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 07:36:27 +0000

As a recently converted Tocqueville devotee, I can’t argue too much with that conclusion. I still hold, though, that the root of “general apathy” can be found in the centralization and accumulation of power in Washington at the expense of the states and townships. Tocqueville himself warned of apathy occurring as a result of the American individualist tendency run amok; he believed that the reason that it hadn’t in his time was because of a countervailing communitarian impulse that was engendered by the empowerment of the individual at the township (and to a lesser degree state) level. Now that all eyes are on the federal government, the individual voter feels alienated and impotent, so it is little wonder that apathy takes hold. As far as “misdirection” goes, this takes place at the hands of the national bureaucracy and media; they have the power to misdirect in their own sphere, which is regrettably far too broad. If power were properly devolved, the bulk of information for which the average voter would have use on an average day could be easily checked.

By: KentAllard

KentAllard — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 05:45:34 +0000

Excellent essay. FDR (and now DrZ) tagged fear as the enemy of freedom, while Alexis de Tocqueville cited “general apathy,” and Alexander Tytler named the discovery by the majority that “they can vote themselves the largesse of the public treasury.” I maintain that all of these, while vitally important, are symptoms of a greater disease: the feeling of powerlessness.

I cast my ballot for “general apathy”, aided and abetted by misdirection.

By: loneloc

loneloc — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 18:14:33 +0000

Excellent essay. FDR (and now DrZ) tagged fear as the enemy of freedom, while Alexis de Tocqueville cited "general apathy," and Alexander Tytler named the discovery by the majority that "they can vote themselves the largesse of the public treasury." I maintain that all of these, while vitally important, are symptoms of a greater disease: the feeling of powerlessness. If you feel that there are vast forces that control your destiny that are impersonal and beyond petition, you will be fearful. If you have no avenue by which to affect a decision, you will ultimately only care about the effects of the decision on yourself, not the decision itself. If you have no say in public policy, you will prefer to raid the treasury than to see others decide how to spend your money. If the voters become sufficiently alienated from their government to be liable to being bought, history shows that the government will be happy to buy them. As Tocqueville drove home again and again, freedom in the United States is dependent upon civic involvement, which is promoted by devolution of power and local control. If we are not determined to wrest control of our individual and communitarian destinies from the federal behemoth, it will be happy to exercise it on our behalf. Tocqueville warned that a democratic system combined with a pervasive central bureaucracy would be the ultimate engine of tyranny, since the people would have no recourse -- the government would be acting "on behalf of the people," after all. As with any human endeavor, our system's greatest enemy is borne within itself -- we must recognize it and hold it at bay. I would suggest that if one truly wants to honor his or her country on the Fourth of July, one could do worse than to take a cue from religious holidays and read a "sacred text" -- one of the Federalist Papers, one of the Anti-Federalist Papers, Common Sense, excerpts from influences on the Founders such as Montesquieu or Locke, early commentators such as Burke or Tocqueville, etc. Honor not only the memory of the Founders, but of their words and ideas. Go back to those, and the problems of the modern day and their causes will stand out in stark clarity. Maybe the language to inspire people to reclaim their power can be found there as well.

By: either orr

either orr — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:55:09 +0000

Standing ovation, sir.
Well expressed.
And Happy Independence Day to you and yours.

By: vapig

vapig — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:12:16 +0000

Happy Independance Day, sir!

Have you thought of running for public office?

By: Disturb the Universe

Disturb the Universe — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:29:05 +0000

A profound and eloquent essay.