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On the 4th of July this year, I will be in Latvia celebrating the marriage of my brother and my favorite new sister-in-law Gundega.

On the 4th of July 1776, 33 year-old Thomas Jefferson wrote:

"When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

"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. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world."

Jefferson then went on to outline some 18 offenses which he found grievous to the people living on this continent.

Like Jefferson, I too believe that we are born into this world with inherent rights.

Life: we each have a right to life and a responsibility to protect it.

Liberty: we each have a right to maintain our freedom from a despotic government; we have a right to freedom from an external rule; we have a right to freedom from control, interference, obligation, restriction, hampering conditions; we have a right to speaking, thinking and doing according to choice as long as we do not rob the life, liberty or property of others.

Pursuit of Happiness: This phrase is based on the writings of John Locke. Additionally, I have found Frederick Bastiat's, "The Law" (first published in June 1850) incredibly insightful in attempting to understand what this phrase could mean. In it, Bastiat states that, "Life, liberty, and property do not exist because men have made laws. On the contrary, it was the fact that life, liberty, and property existed beforehand that caused men to make laws in the first place."

It is to this end that I write this post. I have written previously regarding the 'balanced center,' I continue to feel that restoring Washington DC to this 'center' is the most important issue facing our country in the current presidential election. This balanced center is essential to ensuring that each of us is able to maintain our life, our liberty and our property (or pursuit of happiness). Many promises are being made by our current presidential candidates. It is our responsibility to decide if the candidates did deliver on these promises would the result maintain our personal rights, and our country's political balanced center?

I mention one such promise: health care. Of course we all want to be well and wish the same for others. Certainly, if every citizen of America was afforded health care this would aid in maintaining our goal of right number one: life. However, at what cost? Are we not trading one right at the expense of the other two? It has been said, "Those who would sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither." I say, "Those who would sacrifice liberty and property for life deserve none."

Our country is in debt beyond comprehension; our dollar is deflating like an untied balloon, its' value against the Euro tanks daily; we spend money on existing programs and wars like they're going out of style; we continually bail-out (and consequently promote) bad investments. Look where the social security program is at today. We allow the government to rob us from each paycheck; in hopes that they will pay us back down the road. Fortunately, they do continue to pay us back, unfortunately it is with devalued dollars. Are we not smart enough to plan our own retirements? If you could opt-out of the social security program and instead invest 6.2% of your paycheck in your own retirement account would you participate? (At that point, maybe our employers would then be allowed to contribue their matching 6.2% to our personal retirement fund rather than the goverment's losing program!) Similar to social security, social health care would require that funds be taken from us in the form of taxes and be redistributed as best seen fit by Washington DC. Would this not tilt the scales further from toward tyranny?