Words

I have always been a person that understands numbers more than words. I can remember even as a child enjoying math problems, whereas I have no such memory of equal pleasure for words. Do not misinterpret me, I love reading (when not studying for the CPA exam) and do it quite often. I have dreams of having a library in my home one day. I absorb knowledge in any form, and because of that, I love reading. However, this does not change my view on words. Let me explain. I have been hardwired as a logical person. As I have grown up numbers have always had a definite point, an answer. We sometimes question where a person’s numbers are coming from, but if the numbers are erroneous or incomplete then it is always the person at fault. We never accuse numbers. We say, “I don’t know where YOU are getting YOUR numbers from?” Our intent is never that your numbers are lying. That 5 is really a 6. However, two people can say the same thing with many different words. One can be lying and one can be telling the truth. A word can be distorted to mean something else entirely. Words can influence the way we feel and think. Numbers are what they are, a point or location in quantification of some type of data or reason. I realize that it is with words that we communicate, and that we inspire. Words can change a world with vision, but they can also create a mob. Because of this I have a great respect for words, but without some concrete backup such as history, facts, or numbers they lose their meaning.

The election has brought to the forefront this topic. The founding fathers of this country put a magnitude of thought into the words they chose when creating the documents that this country was founded upon. As I have stated above many words are cheap to me. I always second guess. However, our founding fathers are hard to second guess. They put their “money where there mouth was” so to speak. They did not just talk, they created. They started a rebellion. They created the freest country in the history of the world. Escaped and DID SOMETHING about the oppression they were experiencing within religion, expression, and other freedoms. These words they wrote meant something. They are, again, what our country is founded on. We have hundreds of years of history that back up the FACT that our constitution provides for the freest society the world has ever seen. If we are to base America on a set of words, then it is the Constitution that shall dictate our countries ideals.

The preamble to the Constitution of the United States, the greatest document ever written, states “…. PROVIDE for the common defense, PROMOTE the general welfare, and SECURE the blessings of liberty…” There is no small coincidence that our founding fathers felt that the people should provide a common defense but only promote general welfare. And then of course the harshest verb used here is “secure”, as it is definitive while expressing the importance of our liberties. While socialism and “welfare” as we know it was not defined in 1776, our founding fathers clearly understood and believed that the government should not provide welfare, but PROMOTE it. In other words voice support, but do not provide it. If our country was meant to provide for the welfare of the citizen then do you not think they would have written that? This point is essential to our constitution. The Preamble has been referenced many times by the Supreme Court in order to provide background and tone for the rest of the constitution. Those that believe that a welfare state has any place in America, that socialism has any place in the principles that this country was founded on need to look no further than the constitution. We the people…. Nowhere do I hear, “We the government!” Heck the founders of our country even went so far as to provide a Bill of Rights. The focus of that document is not rights the government gives to the people, but rights that LIMIT the government’s power.

So, when analyzing this election and its meaning do not forget that 57 million people got up out of their couches, chairs, and jobs to vote against the degradation of these principles. No, McCain is not a conservative. But Obama is a socialist. His tax refunds for those who pay no taxes is just one of many ways we know this to be true. I know that many of you out there did not vote for McCain but against Obama. And I know many of you voted for Obama because you were sick of the Republican party. But note, the republican party has been led by moderates in recent history. Moderates do not make good Presidents. Look at what has happened to “W”. Eventually his moderate tone has left almost no one on his side. His reduction in taxes and at the same time outrageous spending has perplexed any logic thinker to wonder which side of center he is on.

So I say this, those who oppose or that have lost their way from the conservative principles that this country was founded on can no longer attach their disdain to a person. No longer can they dismiss thought by hatred of a man. No, the principles themselves are now at the forefront of the conversation. No one accepts socialism in their direct personal lives. No one wants their raise taken and gave to their fellow employees that don’t work as hard so that they can continue to slack. No one gets in to an Ivy League school and then hopes to be forced to go to the local community college so that 4 others can also go to community college on their money in order to create a level playing field. No our generosity is best expressed through our liberties. We give best, and most, out of freedom, not some law or order. This country lives conservatively. Yet we have elected liberals. The Republican Party has a chance to renew itself and cleanse those moderates that are only looking for acceptance or re-election. It’s time to look tall ladies and gentleman. Be proud of the principles you use in your everyday life. Enjoy those freedoms that allow us to volunteer out of the goodness of our heart to help the poor. The freedoms that allow us to take collections at our churches so that youth can attend a trip when they do not have the money. Take pride in those freedoms that allow those inspired to help a stranger or a man on the side of the road. Give thanks for those freedoms that allow an individual to be born poor, and die rich. Be grateful for those freedoms that give us the choice to take responsibility to help our fellow neighbors during times of need. Rejoice for those freedoms that allow an atheist, Muslim, Jew, and Christian to all live on the same block in peace. But most of all voice that you want these freedoms to be your choice, not a government mandate. I feel a revival. A revival based on the words of the Constitution of the United States of America. And those words are built on the fundamental foundation of the human spirit. Freedom!