Last week, presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. asked me to tone down his statement that “real debate“.
Kennedy was angry with CNN for not letting him participate in the Trump-Biden debate.
His people convinced Elon Musk to do his Real Debate on X (formerly Twitter). They asked me to pose the same question to RFK Jr., with the same time limit.
I agreed, hoping to hear some good new ideas.
I don’t.
As you know, President Joe Biden fell asleep and former President Donald Trump lied. Well, even by CNN’s count, Biden lied at least nine times.
Kennedy was better.
But not much.
He does admit that our government’s deficit spending spree is horrific. He said he would cut military spending. He criticized unscientific COVID-19 lockdown measures and had good words for school choice.
But he also sidesteps questions, harps on about past time limits and touts government bon mots like, “For every million dollars we spend on child care, 22 jobs are created.”
Give me a break.
This week is Independence Day.
When presidential candidates promise to subsidize flying cars (Trump), free community college tuition (Biden), and provide “affordable” housing through 3% government-backed bonds (Kennedy), I wonder how confused the founding fathers would be. and fear of commitment.
Nearly 250 years ago on July 4, they signed the Declaration of Independence, marking the birth of our nation.
They don’t want their lives to be dominated by politicians. They wanted a society of free individuals. They believe that everyone has “inalienable rights” to life, liberty and (justly acquired) property.
The blueprint outlined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution gradually created the freest, most prosperous nation in the history of the world.
Before 1776, it was believed that kings and nobles had a “divine right” to rule over them.
America succeeded because the Founding Fathers rejected this belief.
George Mason wrote in the Virginia Declaration of Rights: “All power belongs to, and therefore flows from, the people.”
In comparison, the commitments made by Kennedy and Biden are similar to the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights. UN officials said everyone should “have access to paid leave…clothing, housing, health care and necessary social services”.
The Founding Fathers made it clear that government should limited. They don’t think we have the right to ask for our neighbour’s money. We should not try to force them to pay for our food, clothing, housing, prescription drugs, college tuition.
They believe you have the right to pursue happiness alone as you see fit.
For a while, the U.S. government stayed humble. Politicians have mostly left it to citizens to determine our own paths, choosing where to live, what to do, what to say.
There are a few “civil servants”. But they are not our bosses.
Patrick Henry declared: “Governors are servants of the people.”
Yet there are now 23 million government employees. some people think them Take charge of everything.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) declared herself “the boss” as she pushed for a Green New Deal.
The Biden administration wants to decide what kind of car you should drive.
During the pandemic, politicians ordered people to stay home, schools closed, and businesses closed.
Then, as often happens in the “big government world,” people harmed by government decrees demand that politicians compensate them.
After governments banned 4th of July fireworks, the American Pyrotechnics Association reportedly asked “the Senate to provide relief in the next COVID-19 package to address the industry’s unique and specific cost concerns.” New York Times. “The industry hopes Congress will allocate $175 million for this in another stimulus bill.”
Today, politicians often lobby passionately for more funding.
For some of you, the last straw was when the government required you to inject a chemical into your body.
As some resist vaccinations, Biden warned, “Our patience is wearing thin.”
His patience? Who does he think he is? my father? my king?
At least Kennedy didn’t say that. But he did say some ridiculous things. I’ll be posting an interview with him in a few weeks and you can decide for yourself if he’s a good candidate.
This Fourth of July, remember Milton Friedman’s question: “How can we prevent the government we create from becoming a Frankenstein that destroys the freedoms we were founded to protect?”
Copyright 2024 JFS Productions
Watch the real debate as it would have been with all three candidates – Kennedy, Biden, Trump.#realdebate It has been viewed more than 11 million times. pic.twitter.com/W27pXIOLkd
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (@RobertKennedyJr) June 30, 2024
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