More Common Sense

"As my wish was to serve an oppressed people, and assist in a just and good cause, I conceived that the honor of it would be promoted by my declining to make even the usual profits of an author."
Thomas Paine on refusing to collect royalties on Common Sense and donating all proceeds to the Continental Army.

"The Sun never shined on a cause of greater worth. 'Tis not the affair of a City, a County, a Province, or a Kingdom; but of a Continent — of at least one-eighth part of the habitable Globe. 'Tis not the concern of a day, a year, or an age; posterity are virtually involved in the contest"

This is what Thomas Paine thought of the contest we call -The Revolution- which pitted a small and very weak 13 Colonies against the greatest power in Europe. he knew that what lay in the Balance was the future of freedom, as well as, the future of not only American generations yet to be born, but also of untold millions world wide.

Today though not convulsed in a revolution against an out side colonial power, we are witnessing a form of socialist revolution the likes of which this country has never seen.

Not a day goes by but what some new plan for government -if not outright taking over some sector of the economy or aspect of American life-it is at least proposed that the government control be placed over it to an extent that would daze the founders.

There still is no greater cause than freedom and I believe this country was meant to lead the world to freedom. What is happening in this country today is indeed the affair of an entire continent and will have profound effects upon future generations of Americans as well as generations all over the world.

We have strayed so far from our original principles that if something is not done to stop this present madness I fear we may be witnessing the death of freedom. This country was not founded on the proposition that the "government can do it better". It was founded on the ideal that if the government would get out of the way, allow the people to have their own wealth and decide their own destiny, they, the people would do all things better than any government!

Government was seen as a necessary evil not to try to decide, tax, and control every aspect of society and life, but to provide the basic protections that a civilized society needed. Being legal protections to keep social order and peace-as well as-protection of God given rights. A further purpose of government was to provide for the defense of the people and create a climate for the betterment and improvement of society. It was never intended to be a nanny to wipe our noses clean our diapers and tell us what to do in every corner of our lives.

Indeed Paine's words ring as true today as they did when they were written "

'Tis not the concern of a day, a year, or an age; posterity are virtually involved in the contest, and will be more or less affected even to the end of time..."