Limiting Freedom
Limiting Freedom Paige Shields Ethics: Freedom Seminar June 27, 2012
Abstract
The federal government is take their role a little too far by limiting some of the simplest freedoms that have been given to the American people. The American people are being used by the government to create the “perfect” society in unjust and unethical ways. They are using things such as seatbelt policies that are costing more money than we could ever imagine, smoking in public to limit the amount of tobacco use in America, motorcycle laws to make us seem more safe, and health care to raise the revenues for the country. What they have not looked at, is all of the consequences that will follow because of all of these changes. Have you ever wondered what freedom actually is? What is really means? What it allows us to do, and what it keeps us from doing? Well, Dr. Richard Ebeling, Professor of Economics at Northwood University presented us with a lecture that answers all of those questions. This presentation is called Philosophies of freedom: Individual rights, the social order, and the role of government. In Dr. Ebeling’s lecture, he defines freedom in a different way than I have ever heard before. He states that the free man is both an end in himself and the means to his own ends. This means that with freedom, man is expected to make a living for himself and his family. In America, we are free to do this in whatever way we feel necessary. However, recently the federal government has taken steps to limit our freedoms. It is unethical for the federal government to limit our freedoms using new laws and reforms. After listening in on Dr. Ebeling’s first presentation, I have chosen to write my paper on the freedoms that are being limited by the federal government. There were a few named in his presentation, but I decided to go a different route in order to defend my point a little better. In the past few years of my life, it has become more apparent to me
Abstract
The federal government is take their role a little too far by limiting some of the simplest freedoms that have been given to the American people. The American people are being used by the government to create the “perfect” society in unjust and unethical ways. They are using things such as seatbelt policies that are costing more money than we could ever imagine, smoking in public to limit the amount of tobacco use in America, motorcycle laws to make us seem more safe, and health care to raise the revenues for the country. What they have not looked at, is all of the consequences that will follow because of all of these changes. Have you ever wondered what freedom actually is? What is really means? What it allows us to do, and what it keeps us from doing? Well, Dr. Richard Ebeling, Professor of Economics at Northwood University presented us with a lecture that answers all of those questions. This presentation is called Philosophies of freedom: Individual rights, the social order, and the role of government. In Dr. Ebeling’s lecture, he defines freedom in a different way than I have ever heard before. He states that the free man is both an end in himself and the means to his own ends. This means that with freedom, man is expected to make a living for himself and his family. In America, we are free to do this in whatever way we feel necessary. However, recently the federal government has taken steps to limit our freedoms. It is unethical for the federal government to limit our freedoms using new laws and reforms. After listening in on Dr. Ebeling’s first presentation, I have chosen to write my paper on the freedoms that are being limited by the federal government. There were a few named in his presentation, but I decided to go a different route in order to defend my point a little better. In the past few years of my life, it has become more apparent to me
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