Enabling Economic Liberty

If economic liberty precedes political liberty, it stands to reason that economic captivity precedes political captivity.

The enablers of economic liberty are:

Rule of law
Respect for rights

Rule of Law

The rule of law means that laws are enforced equally to all people based upon their behavior. Wealth, lineage, social or political position are not considered when the rule of law exists. The currently prevailing notion of "equity" is nearly the opposite of the rule of law. Equity is based on the notion that laws should exist and enforced which treat people differently based upon factors aside from their behavior.

Respect for Rights

The rule of law is meaningless if the laws deprive people of their basic, unalienable rights. When laws are despotic and oppressive, they are unjust, because they are designed to advantage one group or individual over another, without regard to personal behavior.

Which Rights

Freedom of Conscience

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees five fundamental rights, all of which relate directly to our freedom of conscience.

Freedom of Religion: This protects individuals' right to practice any religion or no religion without government interference. It includes the Establishment Clause, which prohibits the government from establishing a state religion, and the Free Exercise Clause, which protects religious practices. It is important to understand that this amendment was designed to protect religion from being taken over by government. It was never intended to exclude religion from influencing government.
Freedom of Speech: It ensures individuals can express themselves without government censorship or restraint, though certain limitations (such as speech inciting violence) exist. If we cannot express our opinions freely, we are denied the expression of our conscience.
Freedom of the Press: This right allows the media to operate independently and report without government interference, fostering an informed public and a check on governmental power. The press (or media) is the primary mechanism people use to share the views of their conscience more widely than is generally possible with just their speech.
Right to Assemble: This protects individuals' ability to gather peacefully for demonstrations, protests, or meetings. Without the ability to bring together groups of people who share a point of conscience, we are unable to allow our conscience to influence our society and our government.
Right to Petition the Government: Citizens can make complaints or seek assistance from the government without fear of punishment or reprisal. Government should never be used to repress or retaliate against citizens on matters of conscience and citizens should be free to air their grievances against the government, or any other party, without fear of governmental reprisals.

These rights are foundational to American democracy and are broadly interpreted by courts to balance individual freedoms with societal needs.

Property Rights

The Second, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments to the US Constitution all relate to property rights.

The Second Amendment protects the right of individuals to keep and bear arms, often interpreted as the right to self-defense, particularly in one's home. If you cannot protect your person against assaults, you cannot protect your family, or your property.

The Fourth Amendment protects individuals against unreasonable searches and seizures of property by the government. It requires law enforcement to obtain a warrant, supported by probable cause, before conducting searches or seizing property.

The Fifth Amendment includes several protections related to property:

Takings Clause: This clause states that private property cannot be taken for public use without just compensation (eminent domain). It protects individuals from the government seizing property without fair compensation.
Due Process Clause: This clause prohibits the government from depriving individuals of "life, liberty, or property" without due process of law, ensuring that legal procedures must be followed before property can be taken.

The Sixth Amendment guarantees several protections for individuals accused of crimes, ensuring the right to a fair defense. It includes:

Right to a speedy and public trial: Prevents unnecessary delays and ensures transparency.
Right to an impartial jury: Ensures that defendants are judged fairly.
Right to be informed of the nature and cause of accusations: Defendants must know what they are charged with.
Right to confront witnesses: Defendants can cross-examine witnesses against them.
Right to compulsory process for obtaining witnesses: Defendants can compel witnesses to testify on their behalf.
Right to legal counsel: Defendants have the right to be represented by an attorney (if they cannot afford one, the court will appoint an attorney).

You may notice that parts of both the Fifth and Sixth Amendments are the foundation of the requirement that law enforcement inform people of their "Miranda Rights."

Recent Trends

The weaponization of parts of the government by several of our recent Presidents should be of great concern to all citizens.

Internal Revenue Service Weaponized

In 2010 Barak Obama was President of the United States (POTUS). In 2013 it emerged that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was alleged to have unfairly scrutinized conservative groups, particularly those associated with the Tea Party, in their applications for tax-exempt status. Starting in 2010, the IRS used terms such as "Tea Party," "Patriot," and other conservative-leaning keywords to flag organizations applying for tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(4) of the tax code. These groups typically advocated for limited government and conservative fiscal policies. This led to delays in processing applications and additional burdens of scrutiny compared to other political groups.

A 2013 report by the Treasury Department's Inspector General confirmed that the IRS had used inappropriate criteria to select conservative groups for additional scrutiny. However, the report did not find direct evidence of political motivation from high-ranking officials or the White House. The targeting was largely blamed on mismanagement and poor oversight within the IRS.

The Department of Justice (Federal Bureau of Investigation) Weaponized

The DOJ has investigated Trump over several high-profile issues, including allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election, his handling of classified documents after leaving office, and his actions leading up to and during the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Trump and his supporters claim that these investigations are politically motivated attempts to prevent him from running for or returning to office.

Russian Interference: After appointing a Special Counsel to investigate Donald Trump and the concluding of his investigation, it came out that the entire "Russia Collusion" story was fabricated by personnel on the payroll of Hilary Clinton's election campaign. No charges were ever pursued against Mrs. Clinton for her election interference.

Classified Documents: Although government agents raided the home of Donald Trump and the Justice Department is actively seeking indictments against him regarding his handling of classified documents, no similar charges have been offered over the obvious mishandling of classified documents by President Joe Biden from his time as a Senator through his time as Vice President.

January 6: The Capitol Riot has led to hundreds of people being arrested and detained without trial for nearly four years as of this writing. Most of those detained are guilty of nothing more than trespassing. All of them are guilty of being "useful idiots," which is not a criminal offense. Their treatment is in sharp contrast to the lack of arrests and prosecutions for the rioters across the country who attacked federal buildings, police precincts, while looting and burning countless small businesses in cities around the country in "mostly peaceful protests" focused on the apparent injustice done to George Floyd.

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