President Obama once told successful individual entrepreneurs “you didn’t build that” because it’s the American system and various governments that facilitate your success. But when U.S. Women’s National Soccer star Megan Rapinoe uses her platform to protest pay inequality, a lot of folks think she should express some gratitude for the country that allowed her to get rich. Does rugged individualism make one ungrateful for the blessings of liberty?
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10 replies on “Ungrateful For Rugged Individualism: Whom Do You Owe for Your Liberty?”
Scott, I think I can thread your needle. If you capitalize on the freedom and opportunity of America, you are grateful “to the country,” which actually means you are grateful to your fellow Americans because we are governed by the consent of the people. We each are responsible for each other’s freedom because when government infringes on our God-given rights, WE must not consent. That protects everyone.
Seriously, Scotts wrap-up brought tears to my eyes. In a manly sort of way of course.
My response to “you didn’t build that” is, if the wealth of person X is due only to the contributions of other people, why aren’t persons A through W equally wealthy?
What’s the difference between X and the 22 people before him?
Where else but here can a guy put a rock in a box and make a million… God bless ’em all…..
To take Scott’s closing point a bit further, one can summarize the difference between the two philosophies:
Leftism = Entitlement
Conservatism = Gratitude
To put it another way, I think it is simple. Our system provides opportunity. It does that by getting out of the way and establishing laws that protect what you do. But you have to take the opportunity and do something with it. As to gratitude, one of the best ways to give back is to make sure the opportunities are passed to those who follow. Either by the ballot box and/or the ammo box. Support of the military, by serving or otherwise, or in extreme conditions, by taking up arms, which I hope is never necessary.
President Obama once told successful individual entrepreneurs “you didn’t build that” because it’s the American system and various governments that facilitate your success.
In away this MISTAKE was correct because ever since 1964 we have been living under a two constitution system, the second of which opened up a gateway allowing millions to benefit from tax dollars they did not earn or to secure positions they were ill equipped to fill, within our government offices. Entreprenuers of old were systematically shackled by BS regulations, especially as it concerned quotas. It’s so bad now that if a business does not comply with leftist toilet agenda, they are summarily executed in the media. Just look at sponsorship. If a company says something that even smells of Patriotism and respect for the Founders, WATCH OUT!
That MISTAKE brought change alright by using our own government to destroy those that have, for the most part, been loyal to it. I’m no hero but I defended this nation–Honorably! My wife, a woman of color by the way, is still serving as a Colonel in US Army. She loathes that MISTAKE. We both loathe what politicians and lazy Americans have done to this nation. That’s right, LAZY! Because they voted for people that are doing nothing but tearing down our country and that makes them complicit. By my count there are approximately 50 million complicit voters in this country that ushered in the MISTAKE!
I suggest the process started way before 1964. The programs started in 1964 were simply cashing in on the mistakes made in the 19’th Century and the first half of the 20’th Century. The worst example of which are the so called “Anti Trust Laws”. There are other examples far too numerous to mention.
The obscene national lockdown, is simply the cashing in on the wide spread welfare state built since 1964. We meekly stand by and submit to an infinite Mother-May-I existence.
Sadly, it appears as if Obama was successful in totally transforming both the national economy and the powers of the political class. Followed by greatly diminishing the roll of the individual.
Individuals are now treated interchangeable cogs in a vast governmental machine dedicated to all are to be sacrificed to all with the political élite calling the shots and being able to cash in on the margin.
Speaking of shots, [you fill in the blank]. Consider the second amendment and why Thomas Jefferson thought it necessary.
I was thinking it began about 1933, with only a few respites in 1956-60 and 1980-88.
Both Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson thought the freedom enshrined in the Constitution was obsolete. The populace is dumb. Decisions should be made by noble experts. It was a very industrial, one size fits all philosophy. It could only work in a totally static society.
Progress is made by ingenious men who upend the opinions, policies and edicts of experts.