"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among them are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to those ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing it's powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness."    The Declaration of Independence

This statement is the core of the American ideal. It is a perfect idea crafted by imperfect men in an imperfect time. The authors were slave owners and abolitionists, landowners all, men of faith and men of reason, all with regional prejudices and personal imperatives.

The Founders were not perfect, but they saw perfection in an idea that the individual was unique, deserving of dignity and self-determination. They saw beyond the European model of an aristocratic class of privilege, and held that each of us was created to be free to achieve their ultimate potential unfettered by pre-determined class or lineage. It is a uniquely American concept. It is why America remains a beacon of freedom and opportunity to all nations around the globe.

We will concede that these dead white men did not put into full practice this perfect ideal, but by defining it, they have put into the hands of future generations the ability to make this Union more perfect.  Over time there has been significant movement towards instilling this ideal of personal liberty to all who call themselves Americans. No, we are not all of the way there yet, but a black man, a woman, or a child of poverty living 50 years ago would see the movement toward that ideal. Such an individual from 150 years ago would not believe that such change would have been possible. Only in America is an individual truly free to move beyond the circumstance of his birth to fulfill his ultimate potential - just ask Barack Obama.

Now we are engaged in the political equivalent of civil war. No guns or cannons pitting brother against brother, but still there is a fierce debate over the direction of the country. The promise of the post-partisan, post racial era of Obama has not panned out. There is now more division and more polarization than there was even under Bush 43. One can rehash the many facets of the arguments, but essentially, it is a fight for the soul of the nation. There are those who wish to keep our national character as defined in the Declaration, and those who wish to move on to something more modern and global.

The factions are the progressives versus the conservatives. The progressive faction, led by the trinity of Obama, Pelosi & Reid promise to deliver us to a better society where we all share equally in the benefits of a society optimized by the best and brightest minds.

Responding with a loud "HELL, NO!" are the conservatives, led by John Boehner and Mitch McConnell, who are both still developing spines. They have been sent a message, and assistance by the voters in the form of fresh and truly conservative reinforcements courtesy of the 2010 elections.  The conservative backlash, epitomized by The Party movement is very clear on it's understanding that what the progressives are offering is incompatible with the founding principles of our country.

The progressives claim the mantle of science - that by studying the problems within a society solutions can be worked out to solve those problems. Inequality seems to be chief among their concerns - the suffering of those whose wants are not met. They rally under the religion of "social justice" to ease all "suffering".  They can claim the moral high ground of compassion. They wish to give the man a fish to ease his hunger. Equality of outcome is the focus.

It is the intent of the conservative movement not to hand a hungry man a fish every day until he is no longer hungry. First, he will be hungry again every day - second, he will tire of fish as a meal every day and his thanks will turn to resentment. The conservative seeks to give the man the tools to help him help himself. In modern America the tools of success in individual liberty are education, training and mentoring. The conservative focus is on equal opportunity, and that the only limit on accomplishment is individual effort and talent.

The conservatives claim the mantle of the Constitution, the set of rules set up to limit the reach of government into our lives, as their bedrock. Go to any Tea Party rally and ask for a copy of the Constitution and you will receive 12.  They argue that the Constitution prevents the progressives from doing what they are doing. That argument has been failing for the better part of a century at this point. The argument fails because the American people are a good and generous people who want to help those of less fortunate means, and the progressive argument appeals to their sense of fairness.

The conservatives have passion, but they lack religious burn of the social justice movement. Though the conservative can argue his point logically, without an emotional appeal the argument, however good, appears cold. To fully connect with the average voter there needs to be a  moral underpinning of the counter-argument to progressivism. That moral underpinning is best expressed in the above quoted passage from the Declaration of Independence.

Our rights are to LIFE, to be born and to live it; to LIBERTY, the ability to live life without undue interference from the government; and to the PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS, the ability to make choices and enjoy the benefits or consequences of those choices, again without undue influence of government. These rights are not granted by any government but by our CREATOR, who many define as God.  This includes the atheist, who  is not created by a government agency. His rights are defined as natural law.

More so than the Constitution, the Tea Party should argue the Declaration as the basis to their objection to the progressive agenda. America was defined by the Founders as a place where individual liberty would trump government strictures in all but the most basic forms to allow for an orderly society.

The Constitution is the operator's manual for the country. The Declaration is our mission statement. The Declaration of Independence is the collective voicing of the views of all of the Founders as expressed in a way that the American public and the distant King could understand.

We know that this is their view on what the new country should embody as each of them signed their name to the document knowing that their failure to secure the new nation would mean certain death. Is the current American public today any more distant than King George back in 1776? The words are strong, the intent is clear. Those words are as powerful now as they were at the birth of this nation. They should be used as a passionate argument for the American way of life to continue.

Common Sense Dictates

Long term readers at TPP are aware that we will examine and recommend good ideas from any source, and call out bad ones whether expressed by the left or right. Our editorial staff supports the American tradition and the principles outlined in the Founding Documents. We believe that America was crafted in the way that it was in deliberate fashion. It was this careful crafting that has allowed the United States to develop from a backwater collection of colonies into a nation that has grown into an idea.

America is not so much a set of rules that can be applied anywhere. It gets tried with mixed success in other societies. Most that are successful adopt our structures, but incorporate their own culture to reflect their society. America, as we experience it, only seems to work here. It is because of our unique history that this has occurred. We find this American experiment not only worth preserving, but find it a precious commodity in a world where individual liberty and inspiration are regularly sacrificed, often for dubious reasons.   

Continuing on, the Declaration states "Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes".  We at TPP see a movement away from our basic American principles. We agree that though the circumstances may be dire, they will be transient.

It is often said that suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. We do not think that a major shift in the character of American society is either wise or warranted.  As Benjamin Franklin so sharply pointed out "A man who trades his liberty for security deserves neither."

It is our hope that the American people keep this consideration front and center as we move into the coming election season. The hope for the country is not in repealing bad legislation, it is in informed debate and open government before bad policy or law is enacted. The consent of the people is paramount. So says our Declaration.  So says Common Sense.