There are a number of ideas that seem to be fading from the American consciousness. Namely, the pursuit of happiness, lassez-faire and federalism. All three are related in an important way.

Federalism is the idea that the federal government has strictly limited powers and the lion's share of governance is pushed to the most local government possible and at the state, or even better, the community level.

Federalism works something like this; America has historically been a loosely knit federation of somewhat disparate groups that all share a common love of liberty. Quakers, the Amish, southern agrarians, industrialists, Catholics and protestants, groups of all kinds, etc., etc. were all able to settle in their own communities and largely govern their own schools, churches, communities as they saw fit.

Which dovetails nicely into the pursuit of happiness. Why shouldn't the Amish be able to live they way want, strange as it may seem to the rest of us? Or black communities that enjoy their own cultural roots? As it is, we're concentrating more power to the highest levels of government, not the lowest. Soon 51% of us will determine and regulate the other 49%. And that system will make the most people the least happy. Federalism, by respecting real diversity (not the bastardized lefty version of it), allows the most people to be the most happy.

Which brings us into meshing in the idea of lassez-faire. In French it literally means "allow to act". In other words, live and let live or mind your own business. We don't all have to regulate or coerce each other into our way of thinking.

But that's not where we're heading. Increasingly we're all becoming involved with interest groups. At the lowest level, shrub nazis (homeowners associations) tell us what color we can paint our houses all the way to the federal government who seeks to confiscate a greater share of our earnings and property, we are increasingly being told how we should UNIFORMLY behave under penalty of law. This is totally out of sync with the notion of lassez-faire - allow to act.

Relating this to modern politics, we should all keep it on our radar screens. Avoid the left because they want to enforce their will on us all, regardless of our natural differences. But watch some conservatives as well. Some of them masquerade wrapped in the flag but equally want to impose their will on others.

Lastly, an anecdote. I've been fortunate that I've done a fair amount of business travel throughout the country in my life. One weekend while in New Orleans I decided to go find some real Cajuns (there ain't many in New Orleans), I trekked out by myself out to the southern Louisiana bayou way out to Lafourche, Huma and Layfayette where some real cajuns live. What an incredible and friendly people. I had a wonderful time. Real Cajun food is unbelievably good and they even talked me into some delicious alligator snapping turtle soup. Along with the terrific Cajun music, I was in heaven.

The point is, we really are a diverse people and we're better off for it. Who wants the gray sameness of downtown Leningrad? Our success as a nation is because of the competition of ideas and our freedom to pursue them. Not every way is the best way, but without different ways we'll never find the best path.

Federalism - the pursuit of happiness - lassez-faire.

Think about it.
 
Mike

Mike is one of the frequent posters at David Horowitz's political blog FrontPage magazine.com. He is a good friend and one of the smartest conservative libertarians I've ever known. His  thought piece on the pursuit of happiness reminded me of something my father told me years ago in Suck Creek, Tennessee, just outside of Chattanooga.
 
We were driving to an outdoor shooting range on top of Raccoon Mountain along the banks of the gorgeous Tennessee River and admiring the big, beautiful log homes on the banks of the river. And there it was! The ugliest run down trailer I'd ever seen, sitting on about 3 acres of riverfront property. Out front was a washer and dryer, a pickup truck and station wagon on blocks, loose chickens, and a full clothes line. Next to the river was a dock and a pile of tires!

I immediately said to my dad, "Jesus H. Christ why don't they make him clean up that mess!?"

My father's response has stuck with me to this day.
He said, "you know that family's been on that piece of land for over 100 years. Once upon a time they owned ALL of the land fronting the river for two miles in each direction all the way to the Suck (fast flowing creek). Over time they have sold parcels of land to the people who built all of those pretty homes that we've passed. As far as I know, they're not poor, they all have good jobs with the railroad. They just live in that ramshakle trailor BECAUSE THAT'S THE WAY THEY WANT TO LIVE! Every time I pass that third-world looking dump I thank G-d that it hasn't been bulldozed."

Why, I asked? He told me that these people were living the American dream. They owned their own property, worked hard, obeyed the law and depended on no one! To my father this family was the proverbial canary-in-the-coal-mine of property rights. As long as they lived unmolested by the neighbors and city, his G-d given rights as an American were probably safe too.

Just something more to think about.

Morgan Orlins