Moyers and Company: Video: Harvey J. Kaye: Fighting For The Four Freedoms

This post was originally posted at The New Democrat on WordPress

Even though I think I know what the so-called progressive idea of freedom is today, I would like to hear it from them. And better yet someone who a true Progressive and not a Socialist or Social Democrat more on the Far-Left today, but someone more of a Lyndon Johnson Progressive. But if today’s Progressives idea of freedom is the four freedoms, then it is essentially freedom from individual responsibility and even individual freedom itself. Because big government will save us from having to take care of our own selves, because big government will do that for us.

I’m with Progressives on Freedom of Speech, just as long as we are talking about Freedom of Speech and not just speech that Progressives agree with and like. And everything they find insulting or they disagree with somehow is not legal. I believe in Freedom of Religion, even though I’m not religious myself. But part of that freedom is the ability not to practice religion at all. But as far as Freedom From Want, what’s wrong with wanting things that we’ve earned and setting for goals for us to achieve? Freedom From Fear, come on show me a perfect world and then we can talk about that.

Now how about my four freedoms and I might add one to that, because four sounds kind of light considering the fact that we live in a liberal democracy.

Again I’m there on speech and I would add assembly and religion to that. But guess what we already have the First Amendment.

Right to Privacy, check out the Fourth Amendment.

Freedom of Choice. You might be able to argue that we already have this in the Fourth Amendment as far as what we are ale to do in the privacy of our own homes and property, just as long as we aren’t hurting anyone with what we are doing. But how about when we are in public. And what do I mean by Freedom of Choice, which is sort of like asking someone what to they mean by clean air. But I’ll answer this anyway and Freedom of Choice is exactly that. The freedom for one meaning free adults to choose how they live their own lives. And that covers really everything from an economic and personal perspective. Again just as long as we aren’t hurting any innocent person with what we are doing.

Right to a Quality Education. If I was going to add two amendments to the U.S. Constitution, it would be Freedom of Choice and the Right to a Quality Education. You can’t live in freedom unless you have the knowledge and skills that allows for you to make the right decisions with your own life. And gives you the income that allows for you to take care of yourself. We have roughly depending on how you add it up not including people in jail or prison, fifty-million people or so in America who are not free, because they are currently locked in poverty. Which in a sense if a prison outside of a prison. Because you have to rely on others to take care of you.

We already have the First Amendment which covers speech, assembly and religion. We have the Fourth Amendment which covers privacy. The Fifth Amendment which covers our property rights and the Second Amendment which cover our Right to Self-Defense. Throw in choice and education and we would have all the freedom that we would need, assuming we take advantage of those rights to live freely in a liberal democracy. Not dependent on a welfare state or a corporation or a prison to take care of us for us. Because we have the freedom over our own lives and that is all that we would need.