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You Have Only One Choice, Freedom or Security; Which Would You Choose?
It is a classic philosophical question, and you might be surprised by the answers
Benjamin Franklin wrote, “those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” Many progressives would argue that they would give some liberty up for permanent security. And by security, I am not referring to terrorism defense only. I mean not having to worry about health insurance from the cradle to the grave, social security, minimum wage, guaranteed income, free college, etc.
Most modern political systems have some balance between the two. The notable exceptions are Communist, Fascist, and totalitarian regimes. America fought and defeated Fascism during WW II. We fought and defeated Communist Russia in the 1980s during the cold war. We have not been successful in upending or preventing Communism in Vietnam, Cuba, and Venezuela. Most Western Societies enjoy some blend of freedoms and security.
How do the American people feel about this? A recent A.P. poll suggests “…45 percent of Americans believe the U.S. government is doing a good job of protecting the freedom of speech, while 32 percent of Americans believe the government is doing a poor job,…” I guess that means that 23 percent have either no clue or no opinion. Similar…