CRAIGforCONGRESS

Missouri's 7th District, U.S. House of Representatives

 

 

 

Congressional Issues 2008
GOVERNMENT
The History of Freedom



Human history shows that capitalism raises the standard of living of the common man, while socialism leads to poverty and mass death.

America's Founding Fathers spoke of America as "an Experiment in Liberty," and during the first 100 years under the Constitution, their experiment was proven a success: America became the most prosperous and admired nation in history. But during the second 100 years (the 20th century), Washington D.C. tried another experiment: an experiment in central planning, and America is now bankrupt and despised. Central Planning's true-believers in Washington D.C. also influenced nations like Italy, Germany and Russia to try this experiment. It was a dismal failure, leading to poverty and death wherever it was tried.

History shows we must make a radical break with socialism and embrace capitalism.

"Liberty Under God" has a long history in America, as does the history of attacks against this ideal by socialists, communists, atheists, and other would-be dictators.

The study of history is a powerful antidote to contemporary arrogance. It is humbling to discover how many of our glib assumptions, which seem to us novel and plausible, have been tested before, not once but many times and in innumerable guises; and discovered to be, at great human cost, wholly false. 

-- Paul Johnson



next: A Political Philosophy for Freedom