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The Vicious Cycle

The Vicious Cycle

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Summary
 THE VICIOUS CYCLEHow Our Own Ignorance Destroys Our Freedom—and How We Can Break the CycleWhat if the greatest threat to your freedom is not the government—but your own ignorance?And what if the very people you elect to protect your freedom are the ones who take it away, with your consent at the ballot box?I believe there is a fundamental truth about human nature that is nearly inescapable.Often, the greatest harm we suffer is the harm we inflict upon ourselves. And tragically, that harm seldom ends with us.Examine your own life.Think about the decisions you have made out of ignorance, anger, resentment, greed, jealousy, or spite.Think about a time when you reached a conclusion without knowing the facts. You presumed something was true, acted upon that presumption, and later discovered that what you believed was entirely false.What were the consequences?Did you damage a relationship? Lose an opportunity? Hurt someone you loved? Destroy something valuable that you could never recover?And did you learn from it?Most of us like to believe we are reasonable people. That our judgments are sound. That our opinions are informed.But how often do we confuse our emotions with the truth? How often do we refuse to examine evidence because discovering the truth might require acknowledging that we were wrong?That is willful ignorance. And willful ignorance is particularly destructive because it is a condition we choose to maintain.Now consider what happens when we take this same human weakness and apply it to the American political system.Millions of Americans go to the polls without a meaningful understanding of their rights, their freedoms, or the constitutional limitations upon governmental power.And whom do they elect?People drawn from that very same population.If the electorate is generally ignorant of constitutional constraints, why should we presume that those elected from it possess some extraordinary understanding of those constraints?We elect representatives who may be just as ignorant as we are, entrust them with governmental authority, and watch as they enact legislation, expand regulations, and exercise increasing control over our lives.And who suffers the consequences?We do.Then, rather than examine our responsibility for creating this condition, we blame the politicians, the opposing party, or the government itself.But who placed these people in office?Who voted based upon emotion, personality, promises, fear, or political allegiance rather than an informed understanding of constitutional authority?We did.And therein lies the vicious cycle.An uninformed population elects uninformed representatives who exceed their constitutional authority, producing increasingly expansive and controlling legislation over the generally ignorant people who elected them.Consider the enormous problems confronting America today.Government spending. Public debt. Immigration. Economic instability. Governmental intrusion into the lives of peaceful Americans.People argue endlessly about these issues.But how many begin with the most fundamental question of all?BY WHAT CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY?Not whether a policy is popular.Not whether it makes us feel good.Not whether our favorite politician supports it.But whether the government possesses the authority to do what it proposes.We proclaim our love of liberty while voting for greater governmental control. We condemn governmental overreach while demanding that government solve problems we have failed to address within ourselves, our families, and our communities.We talk about freedom. But do we walk in freedom?An individual who refuses to examine his own thinking may destroy a marriage.A population that refuses to examine its own thinking may destroy a republic.The underlying failure is remarkably similar.We substitute presumption for knowledge, emotion for reason, and allegiance for principle.But how do we break this vicious cycle?We begin where we live.Not in Washington, D.C.Not with another national election.But in our own counties, among our neighbors, within our communities, and with the public servants whose authority we can examine most directly.This is the fundamental value of ConstitutionalCounty.org.The Constitutional County concept offers a direct path toward overcoming the ignorance that perpetuates governmental overreach.Imagine a county in which the people understand their fundamental rights, study their state and federal constitutions, and recognize the limitations upon every public office.Imagine a sheriff who understands his oath of office and is committed to protecting the life, liberty, and property of the people, exercising his lawful authority without violating the rights of anyone.And imagine citizens and local officials working together to examine governmental actions, demand evidence of authority, challenge unconstitutional conduct, and pursue accountability through lawful constitutional processes.Not based upon political allegiance.Not based upon ...
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