God, Guns, and Free Enterprise

As we come up on the 237th anniversary of our country’s birth, we are facing some serious problems as a nation. Our ancestors founded this country on the principle that our creator endowed us with certain unalienable rights. They wrote a constitution to ensure those rights and to govern our country. They created a system that had checks and balances and the rested the power in the hands of the people, whom they believed could govern themselves. When Benjamin Franklin was asked after the Constitutional Convention in 1787 what type of government they had given us, he replied, “A republic if you can keep it.”

Today, it seems as if we are moving further and further from the Constitution and the rule of law. Is our Constitutional Republic in jeopardy? Our once free press is more like a propaganda machine similar to what’s prevalent in communist countries. I’m not taking sides here because I think both sides are equally at fault and both have moved away from the original intent of establishing this country; the experiment in self-government seems to be winding down as we move closer to socialism.

Shortly after the Constitution was adopted, our leaders came together and set down on paper these unalienable rights – Ten Amendments to the Constitution of the United States known as the Bill of Rights. God gave us these rights and our founding fathers wanted to guarantee that the government they created could not take them from us. I have paraphrased them in the interest of saving space.

1.    Freedom of religion, the right to free speech, freedom of the press, and the right of the people to peacefully assemble, and to petition the government for the redress of grievances.
2.    A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of the state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
3.    The right of citizens not to have soldiers quartered in our homes.
4.    The right to be secure in our persons, houses, papers and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures.
5.    The right to due process and the right not to be made to testify against one’s self.
6.    The right to a speedy trial by a jury of our peers, to be represented by counsel, and to confront the witnesses against you.
7.    The people have the right to a civil trial for small offenses.
8.    The people have the right to protection from excessive bail or cruel or unusual punishment.
9.    The people have other rights even if the Constitution does not specifically talk about them.
10.   If the Constitution does not specifically say that the federal government has the power to do something, then the power to do it goes to the state government or the people.
 
Of all of these rights, the second amendment guarantees all of the rest because as a last resort the people have the right to use their weapons to protect their freedoms against a tyrannical government; it was never about hunting. The key here is, the words last resort; after all else has failed and not before we reach that point. When the government fears the people there’s liberty; when the people fear the government there’s tyranny. What do we have now?

Our government and the UN are doing everything they can to infringe on our second amendment rights in the name of security. The UN wants to disarm the people of the world to render them defenseless and our government is playing right along in the name of safety. The question I ask, is it safety for them, or us? I suspect it isn’t us. Franklin also said, “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

If we give up our guns, then we lose the ability to protect our families, our lives, and our businesses, because the criminals will not give up their guns. I’ve heard it said that it’s easier to carry a gun than it is to carry a police officer around with you at all times. Depending on where you live or where your business is located, law enforcement might not be able to respond in time to save you so the right to keep and bear arms gives you the opportunity to protect yourself and your property.

In this country, we have the right to own private property and the right to own businesses. Our country was founded on capitalism, a system, in which production and distribution are privately or corporately owned. In addition, we have the right to reinvest our profits in development and growth of our businesses that we gained from the free market. As the name implies, it’s the freedom of privately held businesses to operate for profit competitively with minimal government regulation. It’s seems like we haven’t had minimal regulation in a long time.

I wonder what our founding fathers would say if they could see the mountains of regulations, prohibitions, and laws facing business owners today. Is this really what they intended or has government grown too large? I’m sure there are enough laws that if law enforcement wanted to arrest you for something they could find a law on the books that would give them the authority to do so. It may not be perfect, but this is still the best country in the world to live in, but we must remain vigilant.

As we prepare to celebrate the fourth of July, we need to remember all of those who have paid the ultimate price to secure the blessings of liberty. We must also remain ever alert and never take lightly the duty and responsibilities we have as citizens of the greatest nation on earth. We owe it to each other and to our posterity to make the best decisions we can when we go to the voting booth. We cannot continue to vote for the person who is going to give us the most stuff. We have to vote for what’s in the best interest of the country and what will make the United States solvent and ready for when the need arises. The United States has saved the world on many occasions and we have paid for it with our dearest blood. We must not let those who have made the ultimate sacrifice having made it in vain. Happy Independence Day.

My website contains links to all the marketing articles I’ve written for the HVAC-Talk Newsletter. If you are interested in purchasing a copy of my new book, Navigating the Marketing Maze, click here. If you need a branding consultation, a complete strategic marketing plan, or help with marketing services, call or send an email to discuss your needs.

Andy Fracica is president and CEO of Fracica Enterprises, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in marketing, and social media strategy. He has over 30 years of sales, marketing, and product management experience in the heating ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) industry. He concentrates on helping companies deliver their message in an ever increasingly crowded market by helping HVAC dealers more effectively market their businesses without breaking their budgets. Contact him at 260-338-4554, [email protected] or visit the Fracica Enterprises, Inc. website.