[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 70 (Wednesday, June 3, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1010]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       LIBERTY ENTAILS HARD WORK

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOB SCHAFFER

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 3, 1998

  Mr. BOB SCHAFFER of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, most westerners, of 
course, know the difference between freedom and liberty. Excessive 
freedom is license. There is no such thing as too much liberty.
  Our founders understood these terms and used them frequently, but not 
interchangeably. Freedom is a statement of sovereignty about 
individuals or political jurisdictions, and it relates to independence. 
Liberty, however, is of a social quality, saying more about how we live 
among others.
  Recently, on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, I 
delivered a speech on the topic of school choice. I quoted British poet 
John Milton who wrote of liberty in his 1671 poem, Samson Agonistes:

     But what more oft in nations grown corrupt
     And by their vices brought to servitude
     Than to love bondage more than liberty,
     Bondage with ease than strenuous liberty.

  Real liberty never comes at anyone else's expense, is retained only 
through great effort and fortitude, and once given away is not easily 
retrieved. That is what revolutions are all about.
  As a Member of Congress, I reflect daily on these great themes. The 
intricacies of government, absent discipline, can distract from the big 
philosophical precepts that separate Americans from the rest of the 
world.
  I view my role in Congress as a peaceful revolutionary fighting 
incrementally to return the power that our Constitution, under the 
Tenth Amendment, observes belongs to the states or to the people. I 
tend toward classical liberalism, which is an attitude placing a 
premium on the liberty of individuals and communities to control their 
own lives.
  Since this philosophy harks back to the Federalist Papers, in America 
I am considered a modern conservative. The Republican Party best 
represents me, and I'm drawn to the words of the first Republican 
president Abraham Lincoln:
  ``You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot 
help the wage-earner by pulling down the wage-payer. You cannot help 
the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot help men permanently by 
doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.''
  The right to liberty, life, and property are considered ``natural 
rights,'' given by God, not granted by government. These rights we 
enjoyed prior to government which was only created to secure and 
protect them. The Constitution accordingly, is a code of limited 
government.
  I once heard Lady Margaret Thatcher speak in Colorado about property 
rights as a ``moral quality,'' providing the individual substantial 
leverage against the tyranny of excessive government. She expressed her 
belief that American liberty has passed the test of time precisely 
because of our traditions of private property ownership. It's what 
makes America great.
  The protection of private property in the Takings Clause of the Fifth 
Amendment, has become a battleground in the War on the West. Protecting 
private property rights is not an issue for just farmers and ranchers.
  Most of us were taught as children simple lessons like, ``don't take 
things that are not yours.'' However, Washington, D.C. is replete with 
bureaucrats who believe many public objectives should be achieved even 
at the exclusive expense of private individuals. For example, the 
expense associated with saving an endangered species falls squarely on 
the shoulders of the poor individual who owns the land upon which the 
species is found, or might one day take up residence. Rather than 
purchase desirable parcels at fair market prices, the government 
effectively ``takes'' them through prescriptive rule.
  President Thomas Jefferson concluded that there are only two 
prevailing forces at work in any political system each advocating its 
way to organize societal affairs. One acts coercively, through 
government mandates. The other responds voluntarily, through the 
private interaction of individuals, clubs, churches, associations, 
businesses. The latter is the basis for a civil and just society.
  It is obvious that we need a certain amount of government to protect 
life, liberty, and property from various threats, foreign and domestic. 
At the same time, it is equally obvious that the chief goal of Congress 
should be to minimize, thereby honoring our liberties, the role of 
government in our lives.
  To this end, I have long admired the work of the Colorado Cattlemen's 
Association in its efforts to preserve our western heritage of self-
sufficiency, rugged individualism, and abundant liberty.
  Throughout my nine years in the Colorado State Senate, and during my 
first term in Congress, our partnership has allowed us to achieve 
meaningful progress. And through my service on the House Agriculture 
Committee, and the House Resources Committee, I'm proud to say we have 
done much to preserve our western way of life.

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