Robinson Crusoe: An Archetype of America?

What constitutes a government? Is it the force behind a large nation? Or can a government be found on a small island where one shipwrecked man fights to survive? In reading one of the greatest classics, Robinson Crusoe, I couldn't help but compare the way that he, Robinson Crusoe, governs "his man Friday", to how our government governs us today. Several things in particular that I noted from the way he governs Friday versus how our government works are things like, how they differ in their governing, how they treat those they govern, and what their perception of the governed are. When we look at a story of such significance in actually shaping great governments, we can start to understand and bring out the fundamental flaws that have been hiding in our modern system of government.

How does Washington treat it's citizens? Each day it seems we hear of some new law or act of government welfare. Our government constantly is bailing people out, spending imaginary money on, and "helping" people. In contrast, we see Robinson Crusoe who, though he helps Friday, is going about doing that in a totally different way. He always has Friday's welfare at heart, even if it is only for the purpose of keeping him alive to be his slave. But instead of just pampering him and not allowing him to fail, he is constantly teaching him how to take care of himself. He teaches him how to use tools, how to read, how and what to worship. Once more, we see a point to compare. Our government is constantly promoting education, but not the purpose behind it. Likewise to Crusoe, our government promotes jobs and working under others. As we look at this, we see the sound judgement behind Crusoe, and find some flaws in our government. Flaws like over-excessive debt, promoting idleness through welfare, and not giving people the opportunity to try-with the pretense of not wanting them to fail. But these are only a few of the flaws that we will uncover as we look at it from the perspective of "My Man Friday".

What were some of the tactics that Crusoe used in his governing? This is where we start to see similarities that startlingly similar. We see Crusoe setting himself up as a superior in all ways. He is better than Friday at the language, he is Fridays portal to God. He's the one that Friday needs to survive. By doing that, Crusoe gains all power over Friday. Similarly we see our government setting up a superiority complex over the masses. By using the welfare, complicated wording in legislation, long dry debates, and high standards of living, our government sets themselves above the masses. When they do that, it creates a wide gap between them and the government. We are starting to see the shadows of an aristocracy forming.

We also see the contrasting views of who their governed are. Robinson Crusoe sees Friday as a lesser race, but still as a human. In his work with Friday, we see him taking the responsibility to govern because it is his right. At the same time, he treats him as a fellow human, but one of a lesser class and age. Here we see a very strict caste system. A system that is based on an assumption that one man is inherently better than another. In contrast, the United States is infamous for its over-the-top equality. The government is constantly promoting equal rights, supplying equal things, and, in short, trying to erase all distinction. This is not bad. Equality is good, if you go about it the right way. Which we don't. But even with all those taxpayers dollars being invested into breaking those gaps, we are only forming larger rifts! As we pointed out before, the government is making it so, "in the name of equality" an aristocracy is forming. We see the rich getting richer (and more politically powerful) and the poor getting poorer (and exponentially less powerful in politics).  This is a fundamental flaw the plagues our nation today. And the rift is only getting wider.

In looking at a classic of such renown, we have been able to uncover many flaws lurking in the shadows of our government. We have seen things like debt, welfare, government regulation, as well as many others. These and other things are increasing the feeling of aristocracy in America. It's our responsibility to change this. If we sit by and watch as these flaws ferment into something far worse, then we will have that much of a harder time fixing things. We need more people who do not rely on the government for their living. We need to start building small businesses to fight poverty. We need to become more involved in our future, and not give all the power to Washington and let them run wild. Specifically we need to abolish the seventeenth amendment. This will move power back into our states, and help to keep Washington in the peoples hands. If we do this, our government may once more become on "of the people, by the people, and for the people". That's the real kind of government.

What I Would Do If I Was President

 I understand that the president of the United States is undoubtedly the most powerful position on Earth. Also though, you have to realize that with great power comes great responsibility. Being the president of this country is also the toughest leadership position to be in. Now, what would I do as president of the United States? I can never be sure because I have never been in the position (obviously). These things aren’t necessarily what I would do, but I would definitely attempt them. Our country is plummeting downward right now, and there are so many problems that nobody can even count, not to mention solving them. I may not be able to fix these problems, but I can try.

            The first thing I would attempt to do is repeal the 17^th amendment to the United States Constitution. Why would I do this? Well, the 17^th amendment establishes direct election of United States senators by popular vote. This means the senators, instead of being appointed by the state legislature like they used to be, are now elected by us, the people. You may think this is a good thing, because it gives the people more power and more freedom, but this is a horrible amendment. I will tell you why. First of all, only one delegate who attended the Constitutional Convention in 1787 that supported electing senators by popular vote. Seeing this, we must realize that this amendment takes away the brilliance of the Constitution, and minors the amazing government in which it brought this country. Here is why: the people of the United States already have Congress representation in the House of Representatives. The point of the state legislatures appointing senators was to give the states representation in Congress. Often the states’ desires and wants differ from the people’s wants and desires. We need to get rid of this amendment because the states need Congress representation, so that we can have stronger states, as well as strong people and a strong country. The states need Congress representation. We need to follow the principles of the Constitution, the most brilliant document ever written. We can not turn away from what God has given us through our founding fathers. Congress representation is the first thing I would give the states if I was president of this country.

It's hard to say what I would do if I worked in
Washington

            Another huge problem in our country right now is National Debt. The federal government has been borrowing money from other states (mainly China) to pay for government-funding programs that we don’t even need. Now, states like China won’t even let the federal government borrow more money, so the federal government is using money that they don’t have to pay for programs that they don’t need. Plus, we are in a lot of debt to China and other states. How dumb is that? That would be another problem which I would attempt to fix. You may ask: how do you eliminate debt? Well, here is how I would do it. Two words: create jobs. How does this eliminate debt? When people don’t have jobs, they rely on the government for money, and right now the federal government is giving them money so that they don’t have to work. So instead of using their revenue to pay off debt, the federal government is using it to give the people who don’t work. I will not blame some of them, though, because some just can’t find jobs to work at. So how would I create jobs for these people? One man who came up with a great plan to create jobs was Mitt Romney. I don’t believe in everything that Romney has done, but this plan is genius. So, to create jobs, I would use Mitt Romney’s famous five-point plan: 1. Take advantage of our energy. This will give people more jobs in energy. 2. Teach children in schools skills for their later lives. This is crucial because the next generation will always be handling the problems which the last generation left behind for them to fix. Also, the more skills they have, the more jobs they will be able to get. 3. Create trade agreements with other states. This will give more jobs to the people of the U.S. by boosting U.S. exports, which will create or support hundreds of thousands of jobs. 4. Support more entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs are the people who create jobs, because they create businesses which give people jobs. 5. Champion small business. By reducing taxes on small business, we can create more opportunity for the businesses to give people jobs. This is a brilliant five point plan which will create jobs for people so that they will not have to rely on the government for money. I would also attempt to eliminate useless government programs which give people (who are capable of working) money so that they do not have a desire to work. I may send some of these programs to the states as well, because the states could handle them more efficiently than the federal government.

            Another thing I would attempt to do as president (and the last thing I will mention here) is promote principles. I believe that this will fix many of the biggest problems this country has. Three of the biggest problems we have are: One, we are turning away from the principles of the Constitution and the brilliant government system it has given us. Two, as a people, we are lacking morality. We aren’t as moral as we once were as a people. Three, the American people do not believe in this country. We don’t believe in the American Dream or the Land of Opportunity anymore, because there is no guarantee that if we graduate from college that we will get a good job. By promoting principles, we can help people realize that we need to embrace the Constitution, become more moral, and believe in America.

            These are three things I would attempt to do if I was president, so that I could help turn this train around so that it doesn’t nose-dive off of the cliff that it is headed towards. This is possibly the most crucial aspect of this place and this time period: getting America back to the state where it once was. That is what I would help to do if I was president of the United States of America.

The Declaration of Independence: a Modern Call to Action

"We hold these truths to be self evident; that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness... And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor." - The Declaration of Independence

    On July 4, 1776, a group of 56 men signed a document. In doing that, they signed away their lives. By putting their names on the Declaration of Independence, they committed treason against the empire of England. There are many things that we can learn from this document, many things that the signers were willing to die for. But how can we take those lessons and apply them to our corrupt society? By looking deep into those words, so eloquently penned by Thomas Jefferson, we can catch a vision of freedom. The fatal flaw in America today is our selfishness, that we will not stand for others at our own expense.  We need to return to those principles which our founders fought and died for! The Declaration of Independence shows us that there were men who cared more for my liberties, than for their lives.

  The Declaration of Independence was a powerful call to action. It nobly declared that the British government was corrupt, and that government should be in the governed. But why did this matter? Because ALL men are created EQUAL and have certain UNALIENABLE RIGHTS. Jefferson said, " to secure these ends (the protection of our unalienable rights), governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed".  We learn from Jefferson's words that governments exist with the sole purpose of protecting our unalienable rights. These rights, outlined in the declaration, are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness which is made manifest in one's property.  These four rights, life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, and the pursuit of property were the things that those men pledged their all to defend. This is amazing to us today. How could they risk everything for that?  Why is this such a foreign idea to us today? Could it be because we are not willing to do the same?

  What happened to those brave men whose names gave the Declaration of Independence it's legitimacy? Five of them were taken captive by the British and tortured. Many of their homes were ransacked and burned. Several died fighting in the war for that very same independence. Others gave all they had in support of freedom. Children and wives were taken by British soldiers and abused before being put into prisons where they later died of neglect. We honor those brave men for that. They were some of the best men our world has ever seen. But the amazing thing is that they, with full knowledge of the consequences that could follow, gave themselves for others, for us. We need to catch that American vision again. The vision of freedom and selfless service for the future, at the expense of our very lives. We need to stand for the liberties of others, and stop wallowing in our pitiful selfishness. How many today would stand and declare to the world, "give ME liberty, or give Me death!"

  The Declaration of Independence was written for us, here, today. I know that they fought and died so that I could live in a free world. I don't think that the world we live in is that world. If we can search this document, and the meaning it had in those great men's lives, then we can begin to create a world like the one they envisioned. A world where my descendants do not have to pay for others to murder innocent souls. A world where they can have a chance to do and to be what they want to be, and not be stopped cold by an over-regulatory government. I want a world where my grandchildren will have their rights to religion; the right to say what they want to, even if it's against homosexuality; a world where they can live in peace. Not one that they have to live their life paying off my debts. This world is possible. It's existed before. We need only to be filled, each one of us, with the passion of those signers. A passion that brought them to poverty. So their children might be rich.

  We cannot wait. If we wait to change, or assume that we will not have to face the consequences of our actions, I promise each of you that if we let that happen, we will have to look our posterity in the eyes and tell them why you didn't defend them. You have a responsibility; you must defend freedom. If you do not than you will answer for that. Are you willing to stand for that liberty? Or are your comforts too big a price to pay for the freedom of others? Is maintaining your reputation and safety worth generations condemned to slavery because you would not relinquish it?  I do not know what others will choose. I do not know if they will have that strength. But for me, I will not permit that. As for me? Give my children liberty, or give me death.

The Constitution: The Key to a Nation's Success

         More than two hundred thirty five years before today, a group of simple men, some called scholars and some called farmers, each representing states from the new union of the United States of America, sat down together at Independence Hall in the sweltering humidity of a Philadelphia summer. Guided by none other than that divine Providence which has appeared all over critical events of this history’s growth, these simple but inspired men, with all their different opinions and arguments, miraculously came together to produce a document. This document, now known as the United States Constitution, undoubtedly changed the world forever. The Constitution was the best thing that ever happened to this country. Without it, history would be repeated again. For hundreds; even thousands of years, the people of nations would have no say in their laws or their government. Nations would have no success because the people were controlled by the government. Everything a person did; everything a person created would be taken by the government. So men of this new nation, who had studied past government systems, knew that if this nation was to be successful, it needed good government without a king. That is the reason that this document; that this government system was created. The Constitution of the United States holds the guidelines to the most successful government system this world had ever known, therefore if any nation is to be successful; it must abide by the principles of that document.

            One reason that the Constitution is the key to a nation’s success is that the men who created it had studied past government systems. In order to prepare for the future, the past must be studied. Every government system has its flaws, so parts which worked were taken out of each government system to create a more perfect union. Many people believe that America’s democracy was modeled after the Greeks’ or the Romans’, but the founders actually insisted that democracy should be modeled after the government of ancient Israel and the laws of Moses. John Adams, who wasn’t able to attend the convention but did make a difference in our government, believed that the Hebrews did more than the Greeks to “enlighten and civilize the world”. The founders also studied many other government systems, including that of the Anglo-Saxons. Many past government systems were created without any look back to see what had worked before. This is why these government systems were not successful. In order to create government which works, a person must look back at what has and hasn’t worked before. That is one reason that the Constitution is necessary for a successful nation—the men who created it knew what would and wouldn’t work, because they had looked back and studied what had and hadn’t worked in the past.

            Another reason the Constitution will create success is that this nation has been successful in the past. Look at how much progress has been made in this world since the Constitution. More progress has been made in the past two hundred years than in the some five thousand years the world has existed before that. Look around you at all the technology we have today. All of this was made possible through this country, the United States of America. This system of government has always worked because, here in America, we are free to create our own businesses sell our own products, and invent our own inventions. We will get credit for what we do here, and that is why this land has been called the land of opportunity. Just look at what we have accomplished here in America with our rights and our creations. As more time passes, more people are realizing that this nation is the place to come to if you want success. That is another reason the Constitution will bring success: it has before.

            The final reason which I will mention that the Constitution will bring success is that the men who created this document were inspired. God helped those men as they were creating this nation. Benjamin Franklin said, during the convention, “God governs in the affairs of man. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?” Alexander Hamilton, talking in the convention as well, said, about the Constitution: For my own part, I sincerely esteem it a system which without the finger of God, never could have been suggested and agreed upon by such a diversity of interests.” James Madison read Isaiah 33:22 in the convention, “For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; He will save us.” These men who framed our government knew that without God, this government system could not have come together like it did. They knew that God was helping them the whole way through that convention. And that is perhaps the most convincing reason that the Constitution will bring success.

            Our country is still amazing. The stars and stripes waving in the wind, still can, and still do represent this land of opportunity; this land of the free, this home of the brave. The extensive blue sky over the luscious sea of grain, the pure, white, domed building, with its powerful columns shooting down into a solid foundation of stone, the soft, grainy sands on the shores of the Pacific; these beloved symbols still do represent this great nation, in which many brave, inspired souls have rung the bell of liberty and justice all over the world. Our country; our nation is still the most successful and inspired nation the world has ever seen. But to have success, we must abide by the principles of the Constitution. That document is the key to our success here in America. If we don’t abide by the guidelines in which that document has, we will fall. That is why the Constitution of the United States of America is the only way to a nation’s success.