Monty Pelerin's World

Liberty as an Ephemeral Event

“If men are good, you don’t need government; if men are evil or ambivalent, you don’t dare have one.”  Robert LeFevre

Introduction

It is natural for oppressed men to yearn for liberty. Once attained, it is taken for granted and assumed to continue forever. History, however, shows that liberty is both rare and ephemeral. Liberty is not the norm; it is the exception. The world is generally replete with oppression.

Our Founders understood the nature and benefits of liberty and set out to create a nation that could preserve freedom.  The Jefferson and Franklin quotes below reflected their doubts regarding permanency:

“Our country is now taking so steady a course as to show by what road it will pass to destruction, to wit: by consolidation of power first, and then corruption, its necessary consequence.” Thomas Jefferson

“… I think a general Government necessary for us, and there is no form of Government but what may be a blessing to the people if well administered, and believe farther that this is likely to be well administered for a course of years, and can only end in Despotism, as other forms have done before it …” Benjamin Franklin

These giants of history were prescient and knew the dangers.  Their fears are now being realized by the people of our country. Are our current problems merely a part of the (inevitable?) process foreseen by these Founders?  Franklin declared that we “can only end in Despotism.”

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