Freedom in 1999

As we finish this year's celebration of our nation's independence, I think it would be good to look at Freedom in America on this final year of the century.

We pay homage to the word freedom and the various "rights" we think we have and deserve; Freedom to "choose", freedom to "do our own thing", freedom to be "who we are". We have freedom of speech, (unless try to say something that is not currently politically correct).

As you look at the life of the average American our lives seem to show "freedom". We can go thousands of miles for a vacation, we can buy most of what we want, we live in pretty nice homes, drive pretty nice cars.

Let's dig a little under the facade of these lives. Is it real freedom to have both husband and wife work and send the kids to daycare. Then try to get all the other mundane things necessary to life… the wash, shopping, the house maintenance, the lawn mowed in the very little time between getting home from work and exhaustion?

Is it freedom to have car payments that seem to most of the older generation more than house payments ought to be!

Is it freedom to have the various governments take about 40% of your income?

Now a look at the older generation. Is it freedom to depend on that Social Security check every month and to ultimately depend on politicians to keep that money flowing and hopefully increasing, from the younger generation?

Is it freedom to depend on Medicare for your health care and again look to someone else to keep that money flowing?

Is it freedom to ask the government to cover prescription drugs… essentially when that asking is for them to get money from someone else to satisfy your need.

Many of the older generation, because of these generous federal programs have been able to move south and enjoy our climate while the kids toil up north. Is it freedom to be here and only see the grandkids a couple times a year?

We have been liberated from depending our kids in our old age. As you got your "freedom" the kids got theirs and have built a life that does not include mom and dad. There is not time to come help out when needed. There is no room in their homes for mom and dad to come if need be.

Freedom, yes but is it freedom to worry every day about what is going to happen when you can no longer care for yourself?

Freedom was won and preserved by ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Just think of what the founding fathers faced as they signed that declaration of independence. If things did not go well they faced death. The movie "Saving Private Ryan" detailed the sacrifice for freedom of world war II.

Would we do the same now? Only when that situation presents itself will we really know.

As we end this century it seems to me that we are trying to substitute "security" for "freedom". Freedom seems scary. In fact, so many areas being free and personally responsible seems impossible. It is impossible to save enough for a good retirement income without the government and my employer. Health care, how can I afford the thousands of dollars needed for a hospital stay.

We have slowly slipped into the protective care of others. Dependence. As we did this our options are gradually eroded all in the hope of security.

Slowly we will relearn the difference between security and freedom.