A New Paradigm

There have been pivotal moments in the history of the United States during which the political landscape is forever changed. Examples include the reign of Democrat-Republicans from Thomas Jefferson through John Q. Adams which lead to the emergence of our first populist president, Andrew Jackson and the Democratic Party. There was the rise of the Whig Party followed shortly by its fall and the rise of the Republicans with Abraham Lincoln at the head of the ticket.

In the 20th Century the names of the parties stayed the same but their platforms shifted dramatically. For instance Southern Democrats kept their party racist while Republicans led on civil rights. Then the parties seemingly switched positions in the 1960s and Southerners left the Democratic Party for the Republican while in the North we have witnessed the gradual decline of social moderates in the GOP.

Here in the early 21st Century I wonder if we are at another pivotal moment in the political life of our country. With big government Democrats seeking to nationalize health care (1/6 of our economy) and Republicans searching for a direction after President Bush's spending spree and multi-front wars, perhaps we no longer are a left vs. right nation. Perhaps the new question we should be asking ourselves is, "Do I favor a large federal government or do I favor a federalism in which power is shared at the local, state and federal levels?"

Our Founding Fathers clearly favored the latter. Our republican form of government only works when those we elect to represent us are closest to us and held accountable by us. The 10th Amendment to the Constitution clearly reinforces the restrictive main body of the Constitution in which the powers of the central government are enumerated. The 10th Amendment limits the scope of the federal government's authority to only those powers specifically listed within the Constitution.

The Founders knew that for our system of government to work most effectively the federal government must be balanced with the power of the states and the people who grant their consent to be government at the expense of their own freedom and liberty.

The question we should be asking ourselves is not whether we are liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican, but rather do I believe in an all-powerful federal government or do I believe in liberty and freedom?

One of the most important underlying principles of our form of government is that we, the people, consent to surrender a portion of our God-given freedom and liberty over to a government with limited powers. Through the 10th Amendment we surrender only a portion of our liberty.

Reclaim your freedom! Reclaim your liberty! Unless we, the people, speak up our own government will slowly become the government of King George III of Great Britain.