When America was a young nation, many poems and songs were written about her in admiration of her greatest attribute: Liberty! In our day, most of these writings are obscure. However, one example does still shine and is well known. The title to this patriotic song is, “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” or “America.” The line from its first verse is, “My country, ‘tis of thee, Sweet land of liberty, Of thee I sing.” The fourth verse begins, “Our fathers’ God to Thee, Author of liberty, To Thee we sing.”
The lyrics to “America” were authored by Samuel Francis Smith in 1831, 42 years after the adoption of our Constitution and 100 years before “The Star-Spangled Banner” was officially adopted as our national anthem. Often during those 100 years, the song served as a national anthem and is perhaps why, today, it is still well known.
Why was liberty so often written about in America’s early history? It is likely because no other nation on the face of the Earth during that era had so limited a government, allowing its people to experience liberty as Americans could, in spite of the horrid blemish of slavery that deprived 15 percent of our population of liberty for 89 years. For America’s founders and framers, liberty was front and center on their minds.
Also in Europe, liberty was often the topic of writers and thinkers as late as 1850. That was the year a short book was published by a Frenchman, Frederic Bastiat, who wrote, “The Law.” In his book are the words, “Life, liberty and property do not exist because men have made laws. On the contrary, it was the fact that life, liberty and property existed beforehand that caused men to make laws in the first place.” He expounds in his book on the theme that, from God comes the gift of life and therefore liberty; from our liberty derives our individuality; from our individuality flows our faculties; from our faculties we gain production and from production property.
All that is written above is to introduce this one question: “How did we go in America from the adoration and praise of liberty — in poem and song — to thinking or even considering the Green New Deal as the right path for our nation? Reading through its many bullet points and goals, what stands out aggressively is one overriding theme: Government has all the answers to all the problems of every man, woman, child, beast and living thing on the face of the Earth. Simply put: government is the solution … to everything.
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The ideas put forth in the Green New Deal are not new. Bastiat, in fact, wrote his book in response to political demands being put upon the French government, similar if not the same as many of those listed in the Green New Deal. Bastiat offered his conclusion to what would happen if government sought to solve all problems and offer all solutions. He wrote: “As long as these ideas prevail, it is clear that the responsibility of government is enormous. Good fortune and bad fortune, wealth and destitution, equality and inequality, virtue and vice — all then depend upon political administration. It is burdened with everything, it undertakes everything, it does everything; therefore it is responsible for everything.”
For America to fulfill the goals as laid out in the Green New Deal would mean deeper federal debt, higher taxation, the elimination of necessities and luxuries Americans are accustomed to and expect, government control in every aspect of our lives and, ultimately, the loss of the one thing we all should cherish: liberty.
To the readers of this column, I would encourage you to do three things. One, acquire a copy of the Green New Deal and read through its entirety. I can guarantee you, despite many Democrats back-peddling on it after Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez exposed it, her doing so was more than a shot across the bow. The Democratic party, and some Republicans as well, are serious about the plan’s full implementation. Secondly, consider what the Green New Deal would mean for you and your family. Thirdly, research this plan’s true source because it is not from America; it is from the United Nations and its affiliate organization, “ICLEI-USA — Local Governments for Sustainability.”
You may be surprised to find that your city and/or county government is an active, dues paying member of this organization. In other words, your tax dollars are already being used to push forward and implement the goals of the Green New Deal.
A former member of the San Carlos City Council and mayor, Matt Grocott has been involved in political policy on the Peninsula for 17 years. He can be reached by email at mattgrocott@comcast.net.
Great article Matt! Problem is no one teaches history or civics anymore in the public school system. The lack of knowledge about how our system of government was designed is amazing. We are quickly reaching the point of no return if people don't wake up. Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, were the foundation, not "the government" providing everything for everyone and taking everything from you.
Matt: Thank you for this piece and thank you Daily Journal for bringing Mr. Grocott and his views to us. While I am concerned about climate change I don't believe we need to jump on the GND bandwagon so quickly and cede so much control to our government. I look forward to hearing other solutions to climate change.
Thank you Matt. Your article should be mandatory reading in our schools. I certainly hope that you will run for higher office as we need more rational leaders like you. You made my day. For those readers not tuned into the European climate utopia, their compliance with the Paris Climate Accord thus far is a hoax. Rest assured that not a single one of these vociferous leaders, including Macron, has been able to come even close to meeting any of their targets. Europeans pay nothing but lip service, which is ignored by the US press, but are ever so ready to point fingers at our administration.
Try the Green-To-Great Deal alternative that's market-driven, genuine, and realistic: https://medium.com/@bauhausone/introducing-the-green-to-great-deal-7e0f371e8821
Sorry LocalYocal - this is not in the least realistic. The entire premise is based on carbon taxation which will inevitably be passed on to consumers. If and when the carbon belching 'villains' become carbon-neutral, how is the required revenue stream sustained? The program smacks of liberal subsidies to the low income groups who would be most adversely affected by higher economic costs associated with such a green deal. The Bauhaus ideal also would drastically reduce the generation of electricity through fossil fuels ostensibly assuming that we can get all of that electricity from renewable sources. Again, these sources would be subsidized by a carbon tax from a diminishing derivation of revenues. The devil is in the details. I managed a $300 million cost-effective energy efficiency program for the UC system and I know a bit about energy economics. We were able to finance the program through tax free revenue bonds and significant utility rebate programs. These benefits are not available to the general public. Carbon tax or a cap-and- trade program can play a role but they do not come cheap. There is no free lunch.
"Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness", yes for everyone in America. This was written by the first English speaking newcomers for themselves and for all future immigrants to America ever since. Native Americans and other non-white minorities have struggled to survive. Many have not. When will "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" be available to all?
I have to start off with a few corrections to Matt's column. First is the decision to select a national anthem . 'My Country 'Tis of Thee' wasn't selected because the melody is taken from the national anthem of Great Britain. 'God Save the Queen'. Second, there must be a typo about having only 89 years of slavery. I think it's more like 400. Anyway, moving right along, Matt feels that those thinking there is indeed a strong place for government see it as a 'solution.…...to everything' is mistaken in the extreme. It's more of a corrective of last resort just like in WWII when a major 'all hands on deck' was required to keep us all alive. After the war we went back to life as usual. Presently with the overwhelming consensus as to the emergency (I mean a real one) where by if we don't reconfigure our economy away from dependence on fossil fuels, we indeed face extinction as a species. I'd count that as reason enough for strong government action. If you don't believe in science, well then of course you can ignore everything I've written and party on.
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(7) comments
Great article Matt! Problem is no one teaches history or civics anymore in the public school system. The lack of knowledge about how our system of government was designed is amazing. We are quickly reaching the point of no return if people don't wake up.
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, were the foundation, not "the government" providing everything for everyone and taking everything from you.
Matt:
Thank you for this piece and thank you Daily Journal for bringing Mr. Grocott and his views to us. While I am concerned about climate change I don't believe we need to jump on the GND bandwagon so quickly and cede so much control to our government. I look forward to hearing other solutions to climate change.
Thank you Matt. Your article should be mandatory reading in our schools. I certainly hope that you will run for higher office as we need more rational leaders like you. You made my day.
For those readers not tuned into the European climate utopia, their compliance with the Paris Climate Accord thus far is a hoax. Rest assured that not a single one of these vociferous leaders, including Macron, has been able to come even close to meeting any of their targets. Europeans pay nothing but lip service, which is ignored by the US press, but are ever so ready to point fingers at our administration.
Try the Green-To-Great Deal alternative that's market-driven, genuine, and realistic:
https://medium.com/@bauhausone/introducing-the-green-to-great-deal-7e0f371e8821
Sorry LocalYocal - this is not in the least realistic. The entire premise is based on carbon taxation which will inevitably be passed on to consumers. If and when the carbon belching 'villains' become carbon-neutral, how is the required revenue stream sustained? The program smacks of liberal subsidies to the low income groups who would be most adversely affected by higher economic costs associated with such a green deal. The Bauhaus ideal also would drastically reduce the generation of electricity through fossil fuels ostensibly assuming that we can get all of that electricity from renewable sources. Again, these sources would be subsidized by a carbon tax from a diminishing derivation of revenues. The devil is in the details.
I managed a $300 million cost-effective energy efficiency program for the UC system and I know a bit about energy economics. We were able to finance the program through tax free revenue bonds and significant utility rebate programs. These benefits are not available to the general public. Carbon tax or a cap-and- trade program can play a role but they do not come cheap. There is no free lunch.
"Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness", yes for everyone in America.
This was written by the first English speaking newcomers for themselves and for all future immigrants to America ever since. Native Americans and other non-white minorities have struggled to survive. Many have not.
When will "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" be available to all?
I have to start off with a few corrections to Matt's column. First is the decision to select a national anthem . 'My Country 'Tis of Thee' wasn't selected because the melody is taken from the national anthem of Great Britain. 'God Save the Queen'.
Second, there must be a typo about having only 89 years of slavery. I think it's more like 400. Anyway, moving right along, Matt feels that those thinking there is indeed a strong place for government see it as a 'solution.…...to everything' is mistaken in the extreme. It's more of a corrective of last resort just like in WWII when a major 'all hands on deck' was required to keep us all alive. After the war we went back to life as usual.
Presently with the overwhelming consensus as to the emergency (I mean a real one) where by if we don't reconfigure our economy away from dependence on fossil fuels, we indeed face extinction as a species. I'd count that as reason enough for strong government action. If you don't believe in science, well then of course you can ignore everything I've written and party on.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.