What does it mean to be free

What does it mean to be free. How do I apply it to my life. What are natural rights's and why did the founders count on them. What is due process and how does it affect me. If you love the government, taxes, limitation or destruction of constitutional rights you will not like this post. But if you love freedom, yearn to make your own place in the world by hard work, dedication, love, friendship and personal responsibility you should listen closely.

First we need to look back at what the founders to thought. What is natural law? Natural law can be simply described as a philosophy that says that man was made in the image of god and that there just rights cannot be dissolved unless they intrude on another natural rights. Very simple example of this is when somebody murders another person. Both have the right to life, but when one takes the sword and it results in murder the society that came up with the civil contract(Government) has the right to protect citizens. The government can only do what a citizen can do. You have the right to protect yourself, so the government has the right through police to protect you. This is also seen in the idea of property rights. Let's say you worked very hard and built a comfortable life for yourself. You acquired two brand new wave runner for you and your family to enjoy. But down the street there was a person who had not pushed himself hard and therefore did not have much to show for it. But lucky for him the benevolent neighbor that lives in between you two has decided that it is not fair you have two wave runners. So he takes one of your new wave runners and gives it to the man down the street. What would happen? You would call the cops and they would arrest the neighbor for theft and return the wave runner. But what is wrong with this story is that the neighbor is the government and they do this through taxation of one group and redistribution to another. The governments job is to protect you property, not to steal it and give it to someone else. This is why natural law is so important. It gives a man the right to reap what he sows, keep what he earns. Hard work and dedication do not always lead to a comfortable life, but laziness always leads to a useless life.

What is due process and how does it apply to us as citizens. It is the idea that basic fairness must remain part of the process and it provides rules and procedures so that this BASIC fairness is applied to an individual, to prevent arbitrary action by corrupt and powerful governments.

5th amendment: "No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger, nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property be taken for public use,without just compensation."

This very eloquently states that are rights are not arbitrary, the state has no constitutional authority to take these rights and if they do they have to be fairly compensated through monetary or procedural law. The whole point is that the constitution set up government made up of free men and women, we are not subjects, we are the people(Individuals). This is very important. The government does not rule over us. The government's job is to protect our Natural Rights. They are suppose to protect our freedoms, our property, our life, and many other rights not enumerated on in the constitution according to the ninth amendment. See most people do not realize that the 9th amendment is one of the greatest amendments because it clearly states the government cannot not deny or disparage the other rights of the people.

9th amendment: The enumeration in the constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Have you though about these other rights not mentioned in the constitution. Some might be to work in the occupation and company you want, to choose your own wife, to choose how many kids you want, what kind of car you drive or maybe that you want a bike, you might just walk. The point is that it is you right to decide. The government was suppose to protect the free choices of people. Look at China, is that how you want to be. You can only have one child, that is were we our heading. When you take away choice you always take away freedom. I Can't wait for the days when the government will tell us that we do not need trucks. They will dictate that we drive crappy little Eco-friendly death traps. I did say death traps, do you understand what i am saying, we our losing our freedom every election. The two party system is rigged to always grow government. One party spends the money on war, the other on socialists security, socialist medicine, and welfare programs to promote a collective state conciseness that methodically sucks all the life of a free people.