Amen! brother, well said.

Wow. Well said!

As Hayek (Road to Serfdom) clearly states:

"Socialism meant unambiguously the nationalization of the means of production and the central economic planning which this made possible and necessary. Socialism has come to mean chiefly the extensive redistribution of incomes through taxation and the institutions of the welfare state."

The US has and has had a socialist government for many decades.

As Hayek also stated: "Socialism isn’t always bound to lead to totalitarianism but easily does so." His point was that both communism and fascism are the natural outgrowth of socialism, that progressively moving down that path makes it increasingly difficult to turn back, and that fascism takes over when communism reaches the point where it has obviously failed.

As Burke stated: "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."

What is immoral is that this and the past generation gave up their right to self determination and self-government. Like Israel, we asked for a king to rule over us, and we got one. It has taken the form of an ever-increasingly greedy, powerful, and corrupt master who is re-instituting slavery.

Prepare to reap the whirlwind.

You are trying to change the foundation of the Constitution and justify God-given rights with worldly logic. We were created by a Creator with certain inalienable rights. And absolute morality comes from Him!

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price."

1 Corinthians 6:19-20a (ESV)

"For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and FOR HIM."

Colossians 1:16 (ESV)

Walter E. Williams knows!

Mr. Williams:

It is exactly the fact that people belong to God that we are to respect others. That is what Christ meant when he said that what you do to the least of these, "you do to me". His ownership gives the appropriate weight and respect to your comments.

He instituted governments to protect individual rights. Without His ownership of all things and His decree of the sphere of governments, all of your arguments become "simply nonsense".

Your correct, we are only God's property if we choose to be. God gave us the the right to choose when he Created us, anyone that wants to take the rights God gave to us away is doing that against God's desire for us. All the points you made are valid no matter what the self rightous have to say.

God owns us and created us. He gives us agency to choose to allow Him to manage us or to manage ourselves. He hasn't ceded His right of ownership to congress. Otherwise, you are correct.

The way I would explain it is in legal terms: God created us. While he still retains full ownership rights of us because of His creation, He has given us a full Power of Attorney on ourselves to make our own decisions and face our own consequences. He still hopes that we will respect His wishes for our lives, but He has fully empowered us to accept or reject Him as we choose. It is from Him that all rights of man flow, as it was He who originally gave us the right of Liberty to choose our own path.

Another keeper for the Writings of Walter Williams file. Excellent!

@ Bruce. Very, very good comments Sir. Your quotations from Hayek and Burke add much to this discussion and should give us all pause to examine carefully the path others have placed us on. One I think unarguably departs sharply from the vision of the founding fathers. Well done!

@ Rob Risko. I don't think Mr. Williams is trying to change the foundation of the constitution at all. I think he wasn't directing the point at those who subscribe to the idea that everything is God's Will and so, consequently the individual really has no Free Will over the course of their lives.

Personally, I would agree with and echo the comment of David S. on the point. As a christian I acknowledge God's ownership over me, however I believe he gave all of us Free Will, which includes the power to reject that ownership (although, sadly, much is lost to our lives when we do so). Although the constructs of our founding documents (Declaration of Independence, Constitution, etc.) are clearly built around Judeo-Christian values, the founders intentionally left references to God broad and indirect - i.e. "Endowed by our Creator", "Nature's God", etc. with the specific idea in mind that the government would have to be constructed in such a manner suitable to protect people of all faiths and creeds.

Even so, we must consider John Adams on the point as well, when he said; "We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

Avarice, ambition, revenge... yes, all recognizable traits in our current crop of Congressional "leaders." But then the word "gallantry" catches my eye. Ah yes, our Congresses of recent decades have been very gallant in their courting of those ignorant to their method and design, as well as their brave expenditure of the public treasury.

God Save the Republic.

David,

You are correct. God creates us and owns us, but, in giving us free will to choose our own path in life, he gives us personal ownership. He relinquishes the title to us and hands us the keys. Some of us have to fail in that ownership to realize that we need Him in control, then give back the keys. Some place Him firmly give ownership back immediately. Some choose a path away from God, to their peril. But nowhere in the deal is anyone given the right to subjugate another, whether through physical bondage, government intrusion, or theft through taxation and redistribution.

So our friend Walter is right. Our government is immoral. Too bad someone didn't try to warn us two hundred years ago. Oh, wait...

Walter, you are a man who gets it. I wish our elected understood that as well.

God has nothing to do with morality. If one man says its not right to kill, then its immoral to him, yet that same man would support a war to keep his freedom. Its all hypocritical and situational. Leave god out of my state, he gave me nothing and has caused nothing but all the worlds problems. May your god burn in hell.

"...or people are owned by God, who has placed the U.S. Congress in charge of managing them..."

Rob, Bruce, et alia: Take this in context. Mr. Williams does not discount our being owned by God, only that some people might claim we are owned by a God who has given Congress proxy power to do his wishes.

Altogether a stellar example of logic, Mr. Williams! Thanks again for a refreshing dose of common sense which is, sadly, all too uncommon these days!

Those Madison quotes are two of my favorite patriot quotes. Where have you gone Mr. Madison, the nation turns it's longing eyes to you!

Thanks, Dr. Williams!

Surrounded by the greedy and the blind; by the uneducated and the pathetic; your voice but a whisper in an arena of blaring ignorance. An awfully high mountain meets our struggling climb, Mr. Williams. I regretfully admit I am resigned to failure. "There are none so blind as those...."

Walter Williams for President!!!!

God bless Prof. Williams. Would to God that he and Prof. Sowell were directing the economic policies of our country.

With respect to self-ownership, I don't think he was trying to leave God out of the equation, but simply stating that we are responsible for our own actions, sinful and otherwise. It is lack of such ownership and responsibility that has led to the "victimology" arguments we so often hear from the Left.

While it is true that God established government to rule on earth (see Romans 13), remember that the apostle Paul exercised his rights as a Roman citizen (Acts ch. 22-24). It is time we exercised our rights as US citizens and return our government to it's Constitutionally specified limits.

Thanks Dr. Williams it is another powerful piece from a master of logic and history. I only wish I had taken some classes from you, but I revel in your columns. I pray that you are able to keep writing them for some time to come.

Dr Thunder,

I think you best capture the point: "we are responsible for our own actions, sinful and otherwise."

David S, Jim G, and Norge:

From a Theological perspective, Martin Luther has a great treatment of the points you espouse in his

Biblically based work "Bondage of the Will".

Jim G:

The references in the Constitution are, in fact, precise and defined. There is no doubt about which "Creator" or "God" they were addressing when their separate treatise on the Constitution are reviewed.

Marley:

You are clearly not speaking of my God in your post above. Yes, there are circumstances for war which is decidedly different from murder. A full treatment of that subject would be profitable to you. But I'll say this for now: it is best to forgive but forgiveness requires repentance.

Let's take a hypothetical position that your worldview is correct and say: "It is immoral to let you live. That is my morality and therefore I am obligated to destroy you. Government doesn't matter because that is also immoral to me." Now what are you going to do? Does this sound like a prevailing worldview in society today? The Muslim worldview to be precise? You refer to the god of the Muslim religion not the Christian God and Creator of the Universe!

Marley

You can attempt to consign God to hell, but I fear it is you who are consigning yourself there. "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." Frankly it is not God who has caused problems in the world, but mankind's propensity for choosing evil, built into our natures. It is an evil we all must daily fight.

This is an outstanding essay, and the comments for the most part are of similar excellence. There is one thought to add to the underlying theological thread begun so ably by Rob Risko:

"...do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s." I Corinthians 6:19-20 (NKJV)

God gave us our bodies, life and talents for a purpose - so that we live to His glory. He did not give ownership of ourselves to other men, nor does He intend that we live for the aggrandizement of either ourselves or other men. Each individual is responsible for his own actions, whether for good or evil.

Each individual has the responsibility to love his neighbor as himself. He ought not to cede that responsibility to the government in the form of involuntarily funded welfare programs. "Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need." Ephesians 4:28 (NKJV)

I assert this is the true "pursuit of happiness."

@ Rob Risko

We are essentially in complete agreement Rob. The references do become precise and defined... but only upon examination of the separate treatise - The Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers. Within the governing documents alone however, the references are broad and indefinite, and I suspect constructed so for the reasons I referenced. Best regards to you and yours for this Blessed Season.

I 2nd. Elizabeth A. Male`s nomination of Dr. Williams for president.

As for Marley, I can only say that as a Christian I believe God is the author of our salvation and the giver of all things good. If I, as a Christian, am wrong in the end, we are both OK. If, on the other hand, you are wrong, you have a very large problem.

Richard Ryan

Lamar, Missouri (Birthplace of Harry S Truman)

Dr Williams

You have put into words what I feel and believe. I served my country in the 60ies, my father WWII, my grandfather WWI. The service we gave was not for our government, but for family. All families. I am angered at what my government as become. I am sure my father and grandfather would be also. I read the Patriot Press and opinion pages religiously. You and Dr Sowell are the first names I look for and read. It is always an education. I do have one problem. You are the people who should be in our government making it work not the horrible people we have! I know there are a lot of good intelligent people in this country that would do a better job then the garbage we are saddle with. Why do you sit on sidelines and write these great ideas, opinions and insights, but never get involved. I believe if you ran for office you would be elected. I’m a 70 year old vet, but I tell you I would be out there campaigning for you. Where would we be if all the people like myself and my parents didn’t volunteer to fight and protect this country. What would have happened if we decided we would only write about how protect our country and not go get our hands dirty. You have the knowledge and the ability to help save this country. Sometimes “there is nothing to it but to do it” as the saying goes. I would remind you, it has been said: “That all evil needs to prevail is that good men do nothing. PLEASE, PLEASE, think about what I have said, before we lose our wonderful country, and the sacrifices of our service men and women were for nothing.

This is the first time I have written and posted anything, I’m not much of a writer, but this is from my heart!

I suppose Marley, the anti-theist who trolled this thread is muttering obscenities at our insistence that we are responsible to God above the government. He is a prime example of "...the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be." Romans 8:7 (NKJV) Even worse for himself, he has chosen to fight One about Whom he knows nothing. His assertion that "god ... gave me nothing and has caused nothing but all the worlds (sic) problems." is overwhelmingly silly. Why do we need policemen, locksmiths, soldiers and lawyers, or for that matter, government? Is it to keep God from robbing us? No, it is because mankind has abandoned the perfection in which God made us, and we are incapable of any action to regain it. Therefore we must institute means of protecting ourselves from the less restrained among us, and keeping the rest honest. This is the purpose for which God has ordained government. (cf. Romans 13:1-7)

Thomas Jefferson said, "The God who gave us life also gave us liberty." God has blessed this nation with a system of government that was intended to protect us with a minimal intrusion on personal freedom. We have in the last several generations misused that system to rob each other rather than be thankful for what God has provided for us to earn with our own honest labor. This is one of the more egregious manifestations of the covetousness at the root of most of our nation's present difficulties. For at least to the same degree we use government to take from another, it takes away our own liberty from us.

"The only way for Congress to give one American one dollar is to first, through the tax code, take that dollar from some other American." Would that it only took one dollar from me to give one to somebody else! Like a leaky plumbing system loses more water the farther it goes, the government must take two or three (or more?) dollars for there to be one left to 'give'.

Excellent article, Dr. Williams! Count me as a new fan, at the recommendation of Thomas Sowell. A word to Bill Lande, about his question,

"Why do you sit on sidelines and write these great ideas, opinions and insights, but never get involved?".

I understand your frustration, Mr. Lande, and agree that Thomas Sowell and Dr. Williams would likely make good leaders. However, don't discount the importance of what they are already doing. The wisdom these gentlemen write gives voice to common sense and values that seem too often to be held in scorn by the media and opinion makers in America today. Their intellectual support of morality in government, and their support of following the restraints upon government imposed by the Constitution, help to instill and inspire our fellow citizens with hope for reclaiming our lost liberties, and our once great republic!

MNice, I like the term you used, an "anti-theist". I am an atheist and I deplore the statements and actions of those whom I can now use a more accurate term to describe, the "anti-theists." They call themselves atheists but they have no respect for the feelings of others and act as though a nativity scene or the words "under Gog" are a direct slap in their faces. I suspect is is because they are not secure in their disbelief and so are frightened that they are probably wrong and therefore any reminder drives them into a tizzy. Poor things. I much prefer to live in this christian based country than any other place I know of. When I say the pledge I simply leave out the words "Under God" and co on my way. My money spends just as well and it doesn't hurt me to see the words "In God We Trust." I wish they could all have the respect for others that would allow us all to live together peacefully. I too would vote for Walter Williams for President and or his friend Thomas Sowel. I suspect they are both much to smart to run for that office given the horrible things the MSM would say about them, their families etc.

Awesome! Hear Hear!!!

Well said Mr. Williams.

I recently read another piece about the government creating a voting block of 'slaves' to a particular political ideology in exchange for handouts.

Momentary comfort in exchange for personal responsibility and liberty is like eating the wrong type of mushroom: it may taste good going down but will sure mess you up when it sinks in.

“The state of nature has a law of nature to govern it, which obliges every one: and reason, which is that law, teaches all mankind, who will but consult it, that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions: for men being all the workmanship of one omnipotent, and infinitely wise maker; all the servants of one sovereign master, sent into the world by his order, and about his business; they are his property, whose workmanship they are, made to last during his, not one another's pleasure: and being furnished with like faculties, sharing all in one community of nature, there cannot be supposed any such subordination among us, that may authorize us to destroy one another, as if we were made for one another's uses, as the inferior ranks of creatures are for our's… God, who hath given the world to men in common, hath also given them reason to make use of it to the best advantage of life, and convenience. The earth, and all that is therein, is given to men for the support and comfort of their being. And tho' all the fruits it naturally produces, and beasts it feeds, belong to mankind in common, as they are produced by the spontaneous hand of nature; and no body has originally a private dominion, exclusive of the rest of mankind, in any of them, as they are thus in their natural state: yet being given for the use of men, there must of necessity be a means to appropriate them some way or other, before they can be of any use, or at all beneficial to any particular man.…Though the earth, and all inferior creatures, be common to all men, yet every man has a property in his own person: this nobody has any right to but himself. The labour of his body, and the work of his hands, we may say, are properly his. Whatsoever then he removes out of the state that nature hath provided, and left it in, he hath mixed his labour with, and joined to it something that is his own, and thereby makes it his property. It being by him removed from the common state nature hath placed it in, it hath by this labour something annexed to it, that excludes the common right of other men: for this labour being the unquestionable property of the labourer, no man but he can have a right to what that is once joined to, at least where there is enough, and as good, left in common for others.” John Locke

http://history.hanover.edu/courses/excerpts/111locke1.html

“The state of nature has a law of nature to govern it, which obliges every one: and reason, which is that law, teaches all mankind, who will but consult it, that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions: for men being all the workmanship of one omnipotent, and infinitely wise maker; all the servants of one sovereign master, sent into the world by his order, and about his business; they are his property, whose workmanship they are, made to last during his, not one another's pleasure: and being furnished with like faculties, sharing all in one community of nature, there cannot be supposed any such subordination among us, that may authorize us to destroy one another, as if we were made for one another's uses, as the inferior ranks of creatures are for our's… God, who hath given the world to men in common, hath also given them reason to make use of it to the best advantage of life, and convenience. The earth, and all that is therein, is given to men for the support and comfort of their being. And tho' all the fruits it naturally produces, and beasts it feeds, belong to mankind in common, as they are produced by the spontaneous hand of nature; and no body has originally a private dominion, exclusive of the rest of mankind, in any of them, as they are thus in their natural state: yet being given for the use of men, there must of necessity be a means to appropriate them some way or other, before they can be of any use, or at all beneficial to any particular man.…Though the earth, and all inferior creatures, be common to all men, yet every man has a property in his own person: this nobody has any right to but himself. The labour of his body, and the work of his hands, we may say, are properly his. Whatsoever then he removes out of the state that nature hath provided, and left it in, he hath mixed his labour with, and joined to it something that is his own, and thereby makes it his property. It being by him removed from the common state nature hath placed it in, it hath by this labour something annexed to it, that excludes the common right of other men: for this labour being the unquestionable property of the labourer, no man but he can have a right to what that is once joined to, at least where there is enough, and as good, left in common for others.” John Locke

http://history.hanover.edu/courses/excerpts/111locke1.html

"Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's. Render unto God what is God's." There is worldliness and there is your soul.

12/11/10

Morality,Immorality is not complicated it's the

mindset of GODS Creation,He was given freedom of

choice.In my opinion our founders chose morality.

for that choice,The creation of a Nation with the

rule of law formed on Earth,Neverbefore heard of

by man.234 yrs.later,Immorality shows it's ugly

form in the guise of BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA.

Oh no! It's my first disagreement with Walter Williams, albeit a minor one-seatbelt laws. Here is the liberty minded rationale:

If an accident occurs, and I am not wearing my seatbelt, the additional damage to myself could conceivably pull an amount of the first responders' limited amount of care away from other harmed individuals, to their temporary or permanent harm.

Other than that, I agree completely.