Personal responsibility vs. government responsibility

To the Editor,

     If you had two cars and your neighbor had none, would I, “a person full of compassion,” have a right to take your “extra” car and give it to the neighbor? What if your “compassionate” neighbors got together and decided to give away your “extra” car? No one, other than YOU, has the right to give away your car!

     Those who wrote our Constitution and our Declaration of Independence had lived under oppression. The purpose of the Constitution was to limit the power of the federal government and to protect (not grant) the natural rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as contained in the Declaration of Independence. Framers of the Constitution recognized the tendency for human beings in power to abuse that power. They wrote these documents to protect us from the unnoticeable creep and loss of our personal freedoms and inalienable (God given) rights. There are many personal writings to reflect this. For example: “American Tradition,” pp. 112-113, and “American Enlightenment,” p. 222. Thomas Jefferson also wrote that governments are instituted to SECURE rights among men (not take them away).

     Our Founding Fathers understood that we should not allow government any rights that we do not have as individuals! Again, we cannot give away something that we do not have. Do I have a right to tell you how big the sign must be in your yard? If I do not have the right, then it should not be delegated to the government. do I have a right to tell you that you have to fence in your pool, if you can dig a hole, or even to wear a seatbelt? When we allow our personal responsibilities to be legislated, we are giving our power away.

     There is a fine line between a right and the abuse of authority. We must pay attention to ensure that our elected officials are executing only their constitutional duties.

Jean McInerney

Anamosa, Iowa