The 2008 elections were an interesting moment in American history. While the margin of victory was, in many cases, razor thin, the Democrat Party nonetheless swept into positions of power in all levels of government. Buoyed by a false sense of mandate from the American people, they have implemented an aggressive agenda to “transform” America.

The mainstream media, having abandoned any semblance of impartiality during the campaign season, and moderate Republicans, anxious to poise themselves as power brokers or political conduits, have both suggested that the Republican Party abandon the conservative wing for a more centrist message. Given that John McCain, the 2008 Republican candidate for President, spent a good part of his career adhering to a populist, centrist ideology, only the most foolish would presume that a previously disastrous recipe would miraculously become palatable in 2012.

Nevertheless, Republicans in general, and Conservatives in particular, should acknowledge that the 2008 election was a warning sign. For the last three decades, forces have been waging a quiet war on liberty, one that culminated in the election of a man ill-suited and unqualified to be President, and who espouses a socialist dogma that would not have been dared even 20 years ago. Further, instead of rebuking this dogma, it is accepted with minimal resistance except from primarily conservative corners.

This could not have happened without a dramatic shift in the American psyche, a shift that freedom lovers can instinctively sense in the events around them, but may not fully understand because their perspective is so diametrically different. This shift is manifest in the erosion of the four pillars of our society. Without these pillars, the country we inherited will not survive to bequeath to our children.

The Four Pillars of American Society

Pillar 1: Human Beings Are Powerful
Freedom lovers recognize that America was built upon several key truths: we are all equal, our rights are unalienable; that a just government’s role can be measured by how virulently it protects an individual’s ability to freely exercise their rights; and people are happiest and most productive when their destiny is freely chosen.

Pillar II: Marriage
As its primary purpose, marriage is the joining of a man in woman for the purposes of pro-creation and the rearing of children. For society, marriage is a stabilizing factor, as individuals established bonds of responsibility to each other, pool their talents and resources, and work collectively towards a common future.

Pillar III: Faith
While religions are not without their historical abuses, in fact the most abusive of societies are ones without religion, or where religion and state are closely intertwined. The millions slaughtered under dictatorial regimes, including Pol Pot, Stalin, and Hitler, far outweigh those who have suffered under religious distortion and malfeasance. Religious ideologies, particularly those that encourage love, harmony, or forgiveness, should act as a counterweight to keep a government in check. The moral precepts of religion, especially those aligned with the respect of unalienable rights and the tenets of polite society, should minimize the need for government intervention and restrain governmental powers to only those acts constituting the greatest good.

Pillar IV: Community
With these founding principles and societal institutions, America rapidly grew into a world power. What launched America to greatness was her generous spirit, her willingness to aid those within her shores who were not as fortunate. Americans have extended many privileges to their fellow citizens, including a quality education, affordable housing, job training, food programs, medical care, and more, all in the hopes that this temporary assistance will ultimately lead to an individual better able to achieve their own fulfilling destiny.

This is the perspective from which freedom loving individuals tend to view the world. In the relatively recent past, this was the America into which they were born. If this was still their country, then no government would dare to overreach, or even suggest overthrowing, the models that served America so well and lead to our position as the world’s last remaining superpower. Within ourselves, our homes, our communities, and our lives, we would be too powerful to accept government-sponsored slavery; we would demand self-determination and reject the kind of smothering government intervention presently being shoved down our throats. But some now do dare, and do so publicly.

How can this happen? First, to weaken the home, the supporting institution of marriage needs to be rendered irrelevant. Second, to weaken the heart, people must be convinced that their rights are not unalienable but rather malleable, and, in the final stages, simply disposal since exercising them poses too great a risk to others. Third, to weaken the soul, the counterweight of religion must be neutralized. And finally, to weaken the individual’s influence in the political world, rights and privileges must become interchangeable, so that the power of the government can expand exponentially all the name of “general welfare.”

Almost all of these things have come to pass, at times with the willing assistance of the Republican Party. We have, at best, two election cycles left before the America we love, the America where liberty is not just an amusing catch phrase, ceases to exist.

Linda Prussen-Razzano

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