As Thomas Paine said:
“THESE are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in
this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love
and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this
consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain
too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value. Heaven
knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an
article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated.”
His words were read to the Continental Army soldiers three days before that decisive victory at
Trenton on December 26, 1776. His words ring as true today as they did then.
In examining Paine’s quote “Heave knows how to put a proper price upon its good; and it would
be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should be highly rated.”
How as a citizenry of the United States have, we took our natural rights of “life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness” for granted?
In a two-three-page paper using the three course mandates as your guide how have we taken our
freedoms for granted? In times of crisis what is the Government’s role in dealing with a
Pandemic such as COVID-19? Did our founders intend during times of crisis for our natural
rights to be disintegrated? What is societies role in lessening the Impact of a spreading a
pandemic? As an Individual do are right’s to freedom of association and movement trump the
general welfare of the citizenry because we do have natural rights? What is the Federal
Governments role in trying to keep the economy stabilized? Did the Founder’s intent for
Governor’s and President’s to have emergency powers to shut or close a privately-owned
business? Isn’t this like eminent domain? Should the government be compensating these
businesses due to their need for “public safety”? Similarly, to in eminent domain they at some
point they may need a piece of property that is privately owned in our name.