To be an American is to support the belief that all individuals have the right to live, the right to freely choose their station in life, and the right to pursue happiness as they define happiness to be without any interference from their government. No one has a right to happiness, but they have the right to seek out happiness without any government restrictions.

Of course, along with this philosophical belief of the individual right to be left alone to decide what one’s life is to be comes the responsibility for those decisions. One must suffer the consequences or reap the benefits of every decision one makes. This is where the rub lies, but it is also the reason why every year more and more individuals become American citizens.

Freedom is the reason why so many literally risk their lives crossing 120 degree heat in the desert, cross vast amounts of ocean, and trek through every conceivable type of topography to reach this land, and government officials appear to put as many roadblocks as possible to stop them.

Becoming a citizen requires fulfilling certain rules established by congress, however, the belief system that ties individuals together as Americans is the idea that the individual is to be free from his government, not subservient to it; that government officials are the ones who must be restricted in the use of the power given to them by the electorate in order that they may not dictate and abusively use that power.

Elections, like the kind that will take place this year, are not established so that the elected can “bring home the bacon” to the electorate. Elections are not held in order that those elected to office can then dictate to the electorate how they are to run their lives. Elections are held in order to elect those to serve as custodians of the power granted them to allow the electorate to be left alone and protect the electorate from others who would initiate force on them. The power given to elected individuals is the power to protect the individual rights of all, not to dictate.

Today, though, most individuals see government officials as the provider of goods and services, the so called bringing home the bacon, as well as the protector to shield individuals of suffering from bad decisions.

Government officials have never been able to, cannot today, nor will they ever be able to in the future bring home anything or provide any good or service to anyone, or protect individuals from their own bad decisions without creating animosity between individuals and instability in society because no government official can provide any good or service or protection without first taking from others. Only human beings, in their own unencumbered creative way, can produce the goods and services and their needed protection to provide for their own happiness.

There is no limit as to how much happiness can be produced when individuals are left to their own devices. This is no dream either. Just look at the freest societies in history and one will find the most successful and happiest individuals. Those societies that embrace or have embraced government control of individuals are the very societies where poverty exists for the masses and depression survives.

To be a true American is not determined by place of birth, but by accepting the idea that every individual has the right to decide his life for himself without having to obtain permission from government officials and be willing to take the responsibility that goes along with those decisions.

Tomorrow evening, Thursday, July 13 at 6:30 at the Yuma County Board of Supervisors auditorium the People for the USA will host a forum for the candidates for the Arizona State Senate and House of Representatives in order for the public to hear their views on current issues.