Time to Restore Liberty, by Claudia Rosett

Finally, to round out our good news day, I refer you to this wonderful editorial by Claudia Rosett, who argues that individual liberty is good. That she — or anyone — should have to actually argue that in the United States of America in the 21st century is a tragedy. But, since this is the U.S. in the 21st century, she does. And she does it magnificently.

Her title is: It's Time to Restore Liberty. I would argue that it is far past time, about 100 years past. But since this is good news day, let's not dwell on that. Read and enjoy.

Here's an excerpt:

What were those [55 million] McCain supporters voting for? Rather than reverting to the zillion polls of recent months, which centered on the platforms put forward by the candidates, I'll hazard a guess — based on what was missing from this campaign, and seems to have all but vanished from the main stage of American politics.

That would be the straightforward love and defense of individual liberty, with its attendant freedom to take risks, and responsibility for the results. And here I stress individual. Not the chant of the crowd, but that basic American passion for individual life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Joe the Plumber, icon that he became, was not ultimately all about marginal tax brackets worked out to the umpteenth decimal point. He was a symbol of the broad principle that America thrives when its citizens are free to chart their own lives under a government more focused on defending their liberty and private property than encroaching on it in the name of redistributive state-administered "justice."

I doubt most McCain supporters cast their votes based chiefly on comparative health care plans or fine points of climate policy. I think they were voting for the closest thing they could get to a politician who believes that collective efforts are best confined to the common defense of the nation, not to confiscatory wealth transfers among interest groups.

I think I'm in love with Claudia Rossett. I know she's in love with liberty. One day, when most Americans are again, this sort of article will be unnecessary, perhaps even silly for being so obvious. In the meantime, please give it your support.

[By the way, the rest is equally good, but my request to Forbes to reprint the article in its entirety garnered no response and, strange as it seems to some on the Internet, I still believe in copyright. So, go there to read the entire article.]

Claudia Rosett, Forbes, It's Time to Restore Liberty.