Liberty

 

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under GOD, I n d I v I s I b l e, with liberty and justice for all"

 

These are the words we say with our hand over our heart to a crimson striped and indigo field of stars cloth as a symbol to our nation. We could also say the “Lord’s Prayer” and sing “Amazing Grace” in unison.

 

 

Liberty.

Our country has a statue of Liberty given by France. It is the symbol for immigrants coming into New York harbor as a beacon for a better life.

These people, who left their homelands for various reasons, came to the colonies, just like the pilgrims of old, to break the chains of oppression and find freedom. The land of the FREE and the home of the BRAVE.

Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s way of life, behavior, or political views. Independence, freedom, autonomy, sovereignty, self-government, self-rule, self-determination is all part of the liberty belief.

Freedom, independence, free rein, freeness, license, self-determination, free will, latitude, option, choice, volition, no compulsion, noncoercion, nonconfinement, leeway, margin, scope, elbow room are all associated with the word “Liberty”.

In a biblical context, “Liberty” signifies freedom from oppressive restrictions or bondage, whether physical, spiritual, or moral, ultimately enabling individuals to fulfill God’s purposes and experience the abundant life offered through Jesus Christ.

While “Liberty” and “Freedom” are often used interchangeably, “Liberty” generally refers to the state of being free from oppression or control, especially political or legal control, while “Freedom” is a broader concept encompassing the absence of constraints or restrictions in general. 

 

 

Libertarians

They advocate a much smaller government; one that is limited to protecting individuals from coercion and violence. Libertarians tend to embrace individual responsibility, oppose government bureaucracy and taxes, promote private charity, tolerate diverse lifestyles, support the free market, and defend civil liberties.

According to common United States meanings of conservative and liberal, libertarianism in the United States has been described as conservative on economic issues (economic liberalism and fiscal conservatism) and liberal on personal freedom (civil libertarianism and cultural liberalism).

With right-libertarianism, critics have argued that laissez-faire capitalism does not necessarily produce the best or most efficient outcome, and that libertarianism’s philosophy of individualism and policies of deregulation fail to prevent the abuse of natural resources.

 

 

Democracy (from Ancient Greek: δημοκρατία, romanized: dēmokratía, dēmos 'people' and kratos 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. a system of government where power ultimately resides in the people, who exercise it through voting and electing representatives

The values of freedom, respect for human rights and the principle of holding periodic and genuine elections by universal suffrage are essential elements of democracy. In turn, democracy

Democratic governments exercise authority by way of law and are themselves subject to law's constraints. Laws should express the will of the people, not the whims of kings, dictators, military officials, religious leaders, or self-appointed political parties.

A democracy provides an environment for the protection and effective realization of human rights

 

Republic

A republic, based on the Latin phrase res publica (‘public affair’ or ‘people’s affair’), is a state in which political power rests with the public (people)

A republic is a form of government where power resides in the people and is exercised by their elected representatives, not a monarch or hereditary ruler. 

‎People also ask…

What is a republic government?

A “republic” is a form of government in which the people hold power, but elect representatives exercise that power.

 

 

Indivisible

Indivisible refers to something that cannot be divided or torn apart. It speaks to unity, to the idea that despite our differences — whether in opinion, background or perspective — there’s an underlying bond that connects us. It suggests that there’s strength in sticking together, in refusing to let those differences become insurmountable barriers.

Indivisibility isn’t just about patriotism or a pledge to a flag. It’s about our day-to-day interactions and the choices we make to seek connection over division. It’s about finding ways to create a bridge, hearing one another, and remembering that, no matter our differences, we are all part of something larger than ourselves.

Indivisibility is unable to be divided or separated.

 

 

Freedom

The aforementioned migrants came looking for Freedom. Still, they were not totally welcomed, so they stayed with their similar family groups forming segregated Little Italy or Chinatown. They brought their skills and trades to the New World colonies constructing fine furniture and musical instruments, repairing shoes, baking breads and pizza, sewing couture, haberdashery and dining establishments with the menus and flavors of the old-world traditions. They brought their music and poetry and art and dance and bias. They attended the church of their choice.

Cohabitation and procreation blended the cultures into the diversity we have today. They could even take an oath and become a citizen of the nation that allowed you to vote for your leaders and officials who make the rules.

The American dream was to assimilate into the masses, get gainful employment and make enough dough to buy a plot of land and build a house surrounded by a white picket fence with a two-car garage and two cars and two children and a dog.

Private property refers to ownership of land or belongings by individuals or groups, distinct from public or state-owned property, and includes both tangible and intangible assets. 

Private property is a legal concept defined and enforced by a country's political system. The area of law that deals with the subject is called property law. The enforcement of property law concerning private property is a matter of public expense. Defense of property is a common method of justification used by defendants who argue that they should not be held liable for any loss and injury that they have caused because they were acting to protect their property. Courts have generally ruled that the use of force may be acceptable. Remember Home Owner’s Association when a neighborhood agrees to a contract and fee to present your property in a certain consistent manner to match your neighbors. Consistency matters to conform to liberty.

In many political systems, the government requests that owners pay for the privilege of ownership. A property tax is an ad valorem tax on the value of a property, usually levied on real estate. The tax is levied by the governing authority of the jurisdiction in which the property is located. It may be imposed annually or at the time of a real estate transaction, such as in real estate transfer tax. Under a property-tax system, the government requires or performs an appraisal of the monetary value of each property, and tax is assessed in proportion to that value. The four broad types of property taxes are land, improvements to land (immovable human-made objects, such as buildings), personal property (movable human-made objects), and intangible property.

The social and political context in which private property is administered will determine the extent to which an owner will be able to exercise rights over the same. The rights to private property often come with limitations. For example, local government may enforce rules about what kind of building may be built on private land (building code), or whether a historical building may be demolished or not. Theft is common in many societies, and the extent to which central administration will pursue property crime varies enormously.

Some forms of private property are uniquely identifiable and may be described in a title or a certificate of ownership. The rights to a property may be transferred from one “owner” to another. A transfer tax is a tax on the passing of title to property from one person (or entity) to another. An owner may request that, after death, private property be transferred to family members, through inheritance. In certain cases, ownership may be lost to the public interest. Private real estate may be confiscated or used for public purposes, for example to build a road.

In capitalism, ownership can be viewed as a “bundle of rights” over an asset that entitles its holder to a strong form of authority over it. Such a bundle is composed of a set of rights that allows the owner of the asset to control it and decide on its use, claim the value generated by it, exclude others from using it, and the right to transfer the ownership (set of rights over the asset) of it to another holder. In Marxian economics and socialist politics, a distinction is made between “private property” and “personal property”. The former is defined as the means of production about private ownership over an economic enterprise based on socialized production and wage labor whereas the latter is defined as consumer goods or goods produced by an individual. Eminent domain is the government’s power to take private property for public use, but only with just compensation to the owner, as mandated by the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution^, Prior to the 18th century, private property usually referred to land ownership.

It really isn’t YOUR land and house and picket fence, but part of the grid owned by the city or county utilizing the roads and water and gas and police and fire and the government will assess YOUR property to fine you an appropriate tax similar to the neighbors. Whether you have done no improvements to YOUR property, if your neighbor builds an extension to their house, you get to raise your property tax rate.

 

 

Rights

Human rights are rights we have simply because we exist as human beings - they are not granted by any state. These universal rights are inherent to us all, regardless of nationality, sex, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, language, or any other status. They range from the most fundamental - the right to life - to those that make life worth living, such as the rights to food, education, work, health, and liberty. Our only FREE right is to breath the air. The air is for all of us and without it – we are not alive.

 

 

Whatever your opinions, views, beliefs or heritage; we who live in the United States of America are questioning our liberty. How ‘free’ are we?

Just like the dollar bill sez: “In God We Trust”, but it doesn’t say which God?