At the root of liberty is responsibility. For our lives, and for the wrongs we see in our vicinity.
Luke Houghton takes a look at this basic necessity for liberty in his entry, Does it Pay to do the right thing?Perhaps going overboard in worrying about other people are some spectators of politics. Jon Swift takes his usual wit and humor to the Senator Craig incident.
I usually try to stay neutral on entries to carnivals I host, but once in awhile, I cannot. In Privates, Publics and Politics, TrustedAdvisor argues for a new ethic regarding personal and public responsibility. I think there is a mischaracterization of the conservative and libertarian in the argument. We do not shy away from governmental programs because we think that those people who benefit from these services should “get a life” and take responsibility for themselves. It is that we believe that we should be responsible for ourselves, and those in our communities. Governmental involvement necessarily decreases personal liberty on multiple levels.
The problem is that our federal government does not have constitutional authority in these matters. Our society cannot survive unless we each take personal responsibility and corporate responsibility for our welfare. Governmental involvement is a separate issue.
And Mad Kane offers us another limerick, this time about Tony Snow.
There are a number of “good things” that we generally believe everyone should have access to. Education is one of them. But who is responsible for our education?
Life Nurturing Education takes a well thought out look in her entry, Who is Responsible for Education?Consent of the Governed takes a look at a student loan forgiveness program.
And Corn and Oil looks at a situation in which the state has overstepped its authority, requesting registration of homeschools . She asks another interesting, and almost frightening question. Where is the protest? Without it, liberties are quickly eroded.
JasonPye.com offers some interesting statistics in the nationalized health care debate, using Georgia as an example.
National defense is an interesting topic of its own in discussing liberty. For some reason, this carnival only attracts submissions from one side of the discussion. I have never really talked about the war on this blog, and am not even sure where my readers stand with regards to this issue. If you feel so inclined, please let me know. I promise I’ll be nice no matter what you believe. When should we go to war? What constitutes a just war? When is our national security at risk? Does the current conflict satisfy any of those tests?
Fear and Loathing offers a photo essay to describe what he thinks of the War in the Middle East.The Agonist takes on the military on a different argument regarding our security and our future with regards to budget issues in The Third Rail War.
On a related note, fiscal responsibility both in our private affairs and those of government are important for liberty.
Phil for Humanity takes a look at why we refuse to be fiscally responsible at a national level.
Thank you for visiting this edition of the Carnival of Principled Government. More information about the goals of the carnival may be found here. Entries may be submitted here. And if you would be interested in hosting, please email me!
Thanks for hosting this carnival. I will be back to read the rest of the entries. Thank you for including mine.
Thank you for including my submission. You’ve done an excellent job with this carnival.
If you’re ever interested in hosting a Gonzo Blog Carnival let me know. I’ll be happy to work with you.
Cheers!
Ah, so the Gonzo Carnival of Education has long faded into the recesses of your memory, has it? Just because my blog isn’t yellow anymore? I see how you are. : )
I like this blog. I’m a bit overwhelmed though because I am leaving the country on Friday. (Yikes!)
I’ll be back!
ThirstyJon
freedomthirst.com
We do not shy away from governmental programs because we think that those people who benefit from these services should “get a life” and take responsibility for themselves. It is that we believe that we should be responsible for ourselves, and those in our communities. Governmental involvement necessarily decreases personal liberty on multiple levels.
I like this a lot, Dana. I think I’ve tried to maintain that thought with our life and on Corn and Oil, but you have a great way with words.
Charlie’s post was interesting, but missed the conglomeration of mixed messages from both parties in agreement…universal preschool, national ids, et al. I think that’s just political gain with no thought about principle.
Thank you Susan. I had the same thoughts as I read his piece. He would have been closer if he had more of an understanding of what conservatism is supposed to be about, but then we don’t always convey that very well.
ThirstyJon, thanks for stopping by! The COPG is supposed to be about entries which uphold the values of limited government, representation, personal liberty, etc. that were enshrined in our Constitution, Declaration of Independence and Federalist Papers. It is to promote discussion of liberty, especially within the context of our founding.
Great carnival – thought provoking stuff – and I will have to come back to read it all in detail.
Thanks for including mine.
Oops. That is what I get for coming to answer comments from my email box…I answered the wrong one here, ThirstyJon!
I hope all goes well with your travels. I look forward to your return. I was really enjoying your blog.
Wow. I didn’t know these carnivals happened so frequently. Maybe I should check up on it more often, so I can participate! This sure is a great carnival — really educational, and thought-provoking. The “carnival of principled government,” from my own experience, is a great way to learn practical application of our knowledge of American history.
I had a lot of fun participating in the tenth carnival, and the next time another comes up, I’ll try not to miss a chance to submit a post.