PRINCIPLES

FOR

PATRIOTS

by Daniel Ray

What you must know and do to live under Freedom.

Section One

The Proper Role of Government

Natural Law

A Republic

Section Two

The Declaration of Independence

The Constitution of the United States

Legal Plunder

Centralization of Power

Section Three

Unity vs Conformity

The Price of Freedom

Restoring Our Republic

- Principles are foundational truths that will always apply -

- Principles are ready for application -

If we know the principle we will know what to do!

- The Proper Role of Government -

There is a proper application of government and there is an improper application of government.

The proper role of government is the protection of the rights that the Creator gave to man, namely-- , life, liberty and property. Economic prosperity, social peace and personal happiness can only be achieved when government is kept within its proper role.

To protect God-given rights government can be authorized to perform functions that the people are authorized to perform themselves. The people cannot delegate to government any power that they do not possess themselves. If the people attempt to delegate a power to government that they themselves do not possess individual rights will be violated. The practice of attempting to delegate power to government that cannot be rightly delegated is the improper application of government and always results in the destruction of personal liberty and freedom.

Individual rights are the basis for the proper role of government and Natural Law is the basis for individual rights. If we do not understand what individual rights are, we will never be able to know what we should or should not do with government.

Individual Rights have corresponding duties:

- Natural Law -

the Foundation of American Government

". . . the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God. . ." -- The Declaration of Independence.

Law of Nature: a rule of conduct arising out of the natural relations of human beings established by the creator. - Noah Webster 1828 Dictionary

God has endowed man with rights and duties. The right to life and the duty to protect life stem from the natural law which says "Thou shalt not kill".

Natural Law (the rights of man and their corresponding duties), is mans source of authority to establish government to protect those rights. Yes, man has a duty to establish government to protect God given rights.

The Creator did not endow men with authority to legislate in a manner contrary to His Divine Law. Men cannot change or alter "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God". Theft and murder, for example, will always be wrong no matter what legislators pass into law.

It is our responsibility to ensure that mans law does not violate the "Laws of Nature's God".

"Can the Liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are. . . the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath?" - Thomas Jefferson

The authority to establish government is rooted in God given rights, and is limited to compliance with Natural Law. This is the "Rule of Law" doctrine.

"A Republic If You Can Keep It"

The Rule of Law doctrine means that the rules will be made according to "Natural Law".

A Republic, in the American sense of the word, is a form of government in which God is the source of mans authority. In a republic the people exercise the authority that they are endowed with by their Creator.

America is NOT a democracy. A democracy is a form of government in which the people are their own source of authority. In a democracy "the majority" decides what is right and wrong. In a democracy God is not the source of man's authority. A democracy is mobocracy. A democracy is two wolves and one sheep deciding what is for dinner.

...democracies have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; ... - James Madison

It is important to know that the word republic refers to the Rule of Law. If we were to remove the Rule of Law from our "Republic", we would end up with a Representative Democracy. A Representative Democracy is a form of government in which the people elect representatives to run the government according to the desires of the people. Representative democracy trends towards pure democracy.

In a republic, the elected representatives are under the obligation to use the authority delegated to them by the people to govern according to Natural Law even when that governance contradicts the will of the majority.

The world is full of "Peoples Republics" and "Democracies", but none of them are founded upon the Rule of Law as is the United States of America.

"Our Constitution [Our Republic] was made only for a moral and religious people.

It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." - John Adams

Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence is much, much more than a mere declaration for independence. It is a statement of authority.

The Declaration was not written for one generation or one nation alone, it was written for all generations and all nations.

America's Declaration of Independence is a message from all freedom loving people around the world, to any and all tyrants that are or ever will be!

The Declaration is a PROCLAMATION to the world!

Through the Declaration America proclaims to all the world that :

#1 The truths upon which rests any sound government are self-evident.

#2 For the laws of man to be valid they must be based upon the Laws of Nature's God.

#3 God created ALL men with the same rights.

#4 Inalienable Rights- are rights that cannot be taken away or violated without coming under the judgments of God.

#5 There are three categories of inalienable rights: Life, Liberty and Property. These rights are so closely linked that to have any one of them you must have all three.

#6 Government is established to protect inalienable rights.

#7 Government authority comes from the consent of the governed.

#8 The people have the right and duty to not give their consent to government that is destructive to the life, liberty or property of the people.

Can we live by the Declaration if we do not know it?

And what about teaching others?

The Constitution of the United States

The Constitution of the United States is a system of government to govern the government, not the people. This is the principle of LIMITED government. Our U.S. Constitution as written in 1787 delegates only 21 powers to the federal government, then it divides and separates these powers to keep them in check.

The great progress that has been realized in America is not because of what the government was empowered to do, by the constitution, but by what it was prevented from doing.

"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the

labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." - Thomas Jefferson

In America we establish government as much for the purpose of protecting ourselves from oppressive domestic government as to protect ourselves from foreign enemies.

By these means (limiting government and punishing the criminal) the rights of the people are protected.

Many have stated the principle of limited government in the words "That government is best which governs least".

In reality, it is only when the people limit the power of government to the protection of rights, that government can protect those rights.

Freedom always produces greater security than that of ever increasing government power.

The principle of limited government is the only way to ensure that government will endure. The growth of government power above and beyond that of the protection of rights results in oppression, loss of freedom, and eventual government collapse.

Legal Plunder

Americans have allowed the concept of limited constitutional government to be replaced by the limitless concept of socialism. This is true at all levels of government from the municipality to the federal level.

We have allowed the false doctrines of "re-distributive government" to replace the Rule of Law doctrine. And now our cities, counties, states and Federal governments largely resemble the "socialistic form" instead of the "Republican Form" guaranteed by our Constitution. Our Republic was not established to "take care of the people".

Governments at all levels are practicing what French Economist Frederic Bastiat called "Legal Plunder; the process of using government to take that which belongs to one and give it to him to whom it does not belong". When the people turn the government into an instrument through which they plunder their neighbors (and themselves), plunder is institutionalized and legalized. Legal plunder, re-distributive government, the nanny state and cradle to grave, are a few of the terms we use to describe the economic system of socialism.

Re-distributive government (or socialism) will eventually rob the entire country of its wealth by running out of other peoples' money; the eventual result of this is worthless money and an utterly ruined economy. When re-distributive government becomes systematized the plundered class and the plundering class becomes one and the same. The people hate the oppressive taxation but they love the "free" health care, the "free" recreational facilities, the "free" government insurance policy, etc. Re-distributive government enters into competition with the private sector by providing goods and services. Through regulation it creates artificial demand for industries that would not exist otherwise. Government cannot create real demand. The price of re-distributive government is our freedom.

How can we know the difference between re-distributive government and the proper role government? We must know our rights!

Centralization of Power

"...To secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."

- Declaration of Independence

The principle of government being limited to its proper role requires that power not become centralized. Power becomes centralized as the people neglect the responsibility to do their own homework, and fail to make their own decisions (give consent) based upon understanding of the principles of freedom.

It is of primary importance that we understand how government derives just power. A people who understand the principles of freedom and perform their duty in defense of that freedom will naturally give their consent to just government power.

As society decreases in understanding and performance of duty, consent to unjust government power increases; freedom is sacrificed for so called security. On the other hand, as society puts its trust in God, government derives just powers from just people; security is preserved by self government. Where is our trust, in God or in government?

Collective government cannot replace self government. Freedom is a choice: it cannot be forced upon us. As a people shun the responsibility to govern their own lives according to the "Laws of Nature's God" social problems increase.

Government grows and power becomes centralized as the people attempt to substitute force of government in the place of personal responsibility. For example, elected representatives vote to fix the problems with MORE government. Secondly, those who are neglecting their duty, vote to increase the POWER of government to secure their entitlement lifestyles. Thirdly, political power gravitates to political parties.

Lets look at the relationship between the power of political parties and paying the price of freedom. It is a relationship of unity in truth vs. conformity to a minority.

Unity versus Conformity

In America today we have government by a conformity rather than by a majority.

Government by a conformity is the result of seeking unity for unity's sake. We love the non controversial comfort of belonging to the crowd, more than we love the rigorous challenge of defending the unpopular truth. When unity becomes more important than truth, compromise becomes business as usual.

Compromise is the only solution when it is more important to win than to stand with the truth. When we compromise our values for other considerations we split our vote and dilute our influence. We conform to the values of someone else. We have attained unity for unity's sake.

Bad Government =

Conformity + Compromise × Unity for power's sake

It is only when we individually stand united with the truth that a true majority is formed. It is not by the desire for acceptance that a true majority is formed, but a desire to unite with the truth. This is a majority with real power- the power of the truth. And it just might be a majority of one. The definition of a true majority: one united with God.

Political parties cannot form majorities. When allegiance to political party is strong enough to convince us to compromise our values, conformities are the result. And it is usually the many conforming to the few. Every man must have his own convictions.

We the People is a motto that depends upon God for power and authority to establish government. With a Godless approach or attitude toward government we place our trust in the arm of flesh (political organization) and the motto becomes We the Party or We the Government.

The Price of Freedom

So what must we do to restore the rule of law and limited constitutional government? We must pay the price of freedom! We must invest the time and energy necessary to understand the principles upon which freedom rests.

" If the people. . . expect to be ignorant and free, they expect what never was and never will be". -- Thomas Jefferson

We must know our rights so that we do not become part of the problem. Then we must work to see that all who would be free know their rights as well.

Our Republic can be preserved only by a people who are willing to pay the price of freedom. The price of freedom is to know our

rights, and to fight to protect and preserve them.

In order to pay the price of freedom we must think for ourselves. The American tradition is to solve problems by turning to personal responsibility; today the tendency is to turn to government. The price of freedom is personal responsibility rather than government power.

The Restoration of Our Republic

We cannot restore something that we don't know. Let us learn what freedom is. Knowledge will empower us to know the duty we must perform. The freedom fight will not be won by elections, but by knowledge of truth and a virtuous life.

Is the solution in leaders or is it in we the people choosing to live the principles. Moses changed the world, but he could not save the Israelites from disobedience.

Good Government =

Knowledge of truth + Unity in Principle × Obedience to God

THE PROBLEM

Lack of knowledge

Loss of ability to think and act for self

Result : Apathetic to truth

Disobedient to God's Law

SLAVERY

We can restore our great American Republic to greatness if we re-enthrone the principles of good government upon which it was founded.

The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States are founded upon these principles.

Understanding our founding documents is understanding our rights. Knowing our rights we can defend them and live under liberty.

FREEDOM

^

Motivates men to perform their duty

^

Love of freedom

^

Educated in the principles of freedom

THE SOLUTION

Following God, the Author of Liberty

"All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them. . ." - Matthew 7:12

The "Golden Rule" as it has come to be known is the umbrella over everything that we have discussed in this pamphlet. This rule is the law of Nature's God. This law is the difference between our American Republic and despotic government. Living this law is performing our responsibility. Understanding this law is understanding our rights and duties. Applying this law to government will keep government within its proper role and keep its powers just. This law determines whether we live under freedom or slavery.

Freedom is a gift from God who is the Author of our Liberty. It is He who established this land as a land of Liberty. He has commanded us to

". . .proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof . . ." - Lev. 25:10

To enjoy the blessings of liberty ourselves and to pass them on to our posterity, we must follow Him who is the Author of Liberty. We must be willing to acknowledge Him in our society, in our schools and in our homes.

Let us govern our lives and our governments by obedience to God!

Help to teach these principles to friends, family, and acquaintances!

Feel free to make copies. This text is also online at

www.utah-constitution-party.org/candidates/danielray.html

and can be copied into e-mails and sent out.

For questions call Daniel Ray 790-3301