To the Editor,
Leo Sandy’s December 11th letter in the Laconia Daily Sun shows how commonly understood terms can be used to mislead people.
While each form of government has a unique aspects, the key issue is government‘s authority over people. At one end of a spectrum are governments which have absolute control over citizens, where, in practice, people have no rights (despite perhaps a showpiece Constitution). If you are arrested and executed or your property taken without a real trial, it doesn’t matter if the government calls itself a dictatorship, Kingdom, Socialist, Fascist, National Socialist (Nazi), Democracy, Republic, Communist, etc.
Would it make any difference if you were being murdered by Hitler, along with about 10 million, or Stalin, with about 20 million, or Mao, with 80 million fellow citizens (or Che or Fidel who killed thousands)? Each murderer claiming it was for “the good of the people“.
At the other end of the spectrum is no government, anarchy, where people have total freedom. Anarchy never lasts long, strongmen normally take total control over people. (Our Constitution defines a government intended to ensure each person’s freedom except when it infringes on another’s freedom and leaving ultimate control of government in the hands of the people not government officials.)
Whether you want to put Fascism on the left or right of the spectrum, it sits with other dictatorships, Communist, Socialist, Nazi, (traditional) Kingdoms, etc., and these forms of government are opposed by all American Conservatives, “right wingers”.
The American supporters and admirers of Socialist and Communist governments are liberals. They will quibble over definitions, ownership of the means of production, etc., but from the standpoint of average citizen’s rights versus the government, there is no meaningful difference between Communism and Fascism.
Historically people who support government power have been considered on the right and people who support the people’s power and rights have been considered on the left. Leo Sandy calls Fascism a “right wing” ideology in attempt to smear American conservatives, and implying that current American liberals, “left wingers” support individual freedom. But, in our country today, the exact opposite is true.
Today it is the liberals, the “left wingers”, who increase government‘s power over people, stealing their freedom. Against the will of a vast majority of Americans, liberals have installed a government run health care system where government controls the care you receive. Liberals demand that you buy “approved” health insurance or pay a fine. Liberals demand hiring more regulators who increase the cost of every American product and drive jobs overseas. Liberals prevent exploiting our own natural resources making energy more expensive and forcing us to buy from nations that support terrorists. Liberals demand more spending in every area except those that protect people’s liberty. (In fact Attorney General Holder is suing states to prevent them from stepping in to protect their citizens when the Federal Government refuses to do so.)
Liberals want an increasing share of everyone’s earnings to pay off special interest groups to buy campaign support and votes. Liberals even made it illegal to buy safe, cheap, reliable light bulbs. Liberals claim these are “for the people‘s own good“. When did taking our earnings, restricting our liberties, wasting our tax money, driving up our cost of living, making us vulnerable to criminals, destroying the value of our nation’s money, and jeopardizing our nation’s security become good for the people?
Today’s American conservatives, “right wingers”, are the ones promoting liberty. They object to judges who “interpret” the Constitution to say what they want by “finding” new meanings which were never intended by the authors or by the people (who gave a limited set of powers to the government). These new powers continually erode people’s liberties without the people‘s approval and have led to very objectionable Supreme Court decisions. Conservatives are working to return to the limited government that the people defined in the Constitution and its amendments and return to the people their exclusive responsibility to amend the Constitution.
Only one nationwide group is committed to restoring people’s liberty, and objecting to the immoral deficits and debt that are destroying our country‘s future. It is not the Occupy Wall Streeters, socialists, communists, unions, crony capitalists, or other liberals. Nor, sadly, is it either major political party which primarily care about being in charge of government spending.
If you care about yourself, your children, grandchildren, and subsequent generations of Americans, join the fight for the liberty and prosperity of all Americans, join a TEA Party. Help us replace current politicians with people dedicated to a smaller, Constitutionally limited government that fulfills its function of ensuring the people’s liberty.