Consent of the Governed

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”

Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

That single paragraph from our Declaration of Independence contains the basic foundational concepts by which our nation was to be governed specifically to protect the rights of the minority from the tyranny of the majority. 

. . . “We hold these truths to be self-evident” as in there can be absolutely no disagreement with the truth of what we are about to say.  In legal terminology, the veracity of the evidence presented cannot be challenged.

. . . “all men are created equal” establishes the fact that each person who chooses to participate in American society within a moral framework has equal opportunity to achieve success. 

. . . “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights” asserts beyond question that the Natural Law Rights of the individual, divine in origin, are to be protected by our Constitution and cannot be altered, diminished, or eliminated by act of government or man.

. . . “to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men” declares that the purpose of government is to protect and secure the Natural Law Rights of the individual.

. . . “(Governments derive) their just powers from the consent of the governed” most importantly rejects the centuries-old concept of Divine Right of Kings, a European code by which a monarch’s right to rule was granted by God through religious sanction.  The King was considered thereby to have absolute power that could not be restrained by any human authority.          

Achieving and maintaining “consent of the governed” is where most governments eventually fail.  To be successful, a government must establish a delicate balance. 

The absolute truth is that government cannot give you anything that it does not first take from someone else.  Of necessity, it must take property of value as taxation from some individuals to pay for government functions.  As long as the “return on investment” satisfies taxpayers, most will continue to support the regime.  As with any business venture, however, when the “cost to benefit” ratio becomes unfavorable, those paying the bills seek redress or look for an escape route. 

Given the above facts, it should be possible to develop a set of guidelines to maintain an environment in which “consent of the governed” can be assured:

1. Taxation must apply equally to all, encourage, not punish, activity beneficial to individuals, and should be based on consumption and use rather than property or income.
2. Taxation should only be used to fund the proper and limited functions of government enumerated in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution. 
3. The General Welfare Clause, often purposefully misinterpreted, must actually limit legislation and regulations to those promoting the legitimate general welfare of all equally.
4. Taxation and spending should not be used as a tool for social engineering.
5. Charity is a voluntary act of giving.  Taxation is theft, especially if money is given directly to others for the purpose of buying votes or generating dependency on the government.
6. Repeal the direct election of Senators under the 17^th Amendment.  The Senate should represent the interests of individual states as a check and balance to the majority-rule House of Representatives.
7. Legislators must obey and live by the laws they enact without exemption and must be directly accountable to their constituents.
8. The Judiciary at all levels must be independent of political influence and bound by the written words of the Constitution not the decisions of latter day jurists.
9. Term limits must be enacted for Senators and Representatives.
10. Groups and corporations are not individuals and do not have rights. 
11. The Natural Law Rights of individuals must be secure and protected by government against the potential tyranny of the majority.

It is obvious that these guidelines mirror the words and intent of our Constitution.  The United States is a Constitutional Republic in which the rights of the minority, even a minority of one person, are protected against the desires of the majority.  In fact, the Bill of Rights is the contract by which the federal government is required to protect and secure the enumerated rights of each sovereign state and of each one of its sovereign citizens.

The objective of “group identity politics” is to create an environment in which favored groups are legally allowed to take advantage of groups officially designated as the scapegoat for society’s failures.  Inevitably, this legislated plunder quickly leads to resentment and initiates dissolution of societal harmony.  While a certain amount of financial disparity may be tolerated, true anger and division occurs when individual rights are in jeopardy and individual freedom is threatened. 

When the reality of true collectivist tyranny becomes apparent and imminent, there will be a moment in time at which society will be terminally fractured.  At that moment, “consent of the governed” will be withdrawn with disastrous consequences. 

Resist Tyranny and Trust in Freedom!