Has the Unaleinable Become Alien?

The Founders of these United States devised a system of government where each state and its citizens hold "unalienable" rights beyond those functions reserved to the national government. An unalienable right is that which can neither be taken nor given as it belongs to the people naturally. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Leaving education, in-state labor and commerce, determining what is acceptable public social behavior and other innumerable issues to the 'states and the people, respectively' enables us to have a country where you can essentially have fifty different cultures--thirteen in 1791. If you don't like the education in one state, gambling in another or feel that a particular place is a poor environment in which to raise your children, you have forty-nine options.

Until the last sixty or so years, a state could bus children to parochial schools, decide how to spend all it's educational funds free from a national government's requirements, punish it's state convicted criminals and a host of other functions totally unencumbered by federal mandates and requirements.

Before the Great Depression, people looked to their state governments for a redress of grievances, social assistance and laws for what they deemed the ideal orderly society. There was a time when a state and its citizens could pass laws requiring that state-funded education and services could be reserved for legal citizens only.

There was also a time when private property could not be infringed upon by national laws designed to appease those who value a tree frog's or minnow's environment more than a family's livelihood. (ie. San Joaquin Valley in CA)

Over sixty years ago, the average citizen could decide on their own retirement system and paid about one percent of their income in national taxes. The average wage earner today pays over 25% of their income to national--otherwise known as federal--taxes...When you add up income tax, social insecurity, Medicare, fuel tax and a host of other taxes. This is on top of another 15-20% our state and local governments take. Now Washington DC wants to take away the Home Mortgage Tax Deduction and tax our employee health benefits as income.

All of the Federal programs for Welfare, Education, Health Care, etc. come with a high price. The unalienable becomes alien, the right becomes a privilege conferred by a benevolent Washington, and freedom becomes just another word in the dictionary.