By Tribune-Review

Published: Friday, December 28, 2012, 8:58 p.m.
Updated: Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Losing our freedoms

What makes this nation different has been its respect for personal freedoms and property rights. We've been a magnet for able and motivated people, their accomplishments unfettered by histories of class and privilege. The resulting economic force predominated.

Generations have come and prospered, believing accomplishments were theirs to obtain and hold. Few achieved without hard work and tenacity. Most gleaned a sense of community responsibility and contributed to the welfare of others.

Americans are unparalleled for their charity. This flows from our individual freedom to choose.

Over the last century, the federal government has abridged the basic premise with a thousand cuts. To meet changing times, it argues, we must forfeit our fundamental beliefs and join the decay of other failed societies.

Confiscating wealth is a symbolic gesture to the growing population contributing nothing to the nation. It deprives our youth of the incentive to innovate and be exceptional. It moves wealth and business elsewhere. It cannot offset any meaningful part of our national debt.

Our representatives have knowingly turned us against each other. The unsustainable debt they have underwritten is incomprehensibly large. Unchallenged, this will be the legacy of poverty we leave our children.

Lawrence Fay

McMurray

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2. Free speech
3. Blame districts, state
4. Close corporate loopholes
5. Built-in bias
6. IRS ‘useful idiots’
7. Connellsville’s finances
8. Go to the Heritage
9. What am I paying for?
10. North Irwin’s loss
11. Spanier’s pay shameful

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