Equal Justice versus Social Justice
As the Progressive Movement continues marching us toward Socialism it seems an appropriate time to explain where this road ends. Americans are spoiled by their freedom and have lost perspective on where it comes from and why it is so important.
From Uncommon Sense
As the Progressive Movement continues marching us toward Socialism it seems an appropriate time to explain where this road ends. Americans are spoiled by their freedom and have lost perspective on where it comes from and why it is so important.
The single best example of what sets America apart from the rest of the world are the founding principles which are laid out in both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
Our system of government begins with a foundation of individual rights and is based on the principle of “equal justice.” Under our system, individuals are in control of their lives. Our liberty begins with the concept that an individual’s rights are inherent to his nature, that man’s rights are unalienable, that each person is independent, and that justice must be dispensed equally.
From the Declaration of Independence: “When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
Our government and its’ judicial system were designed to protect the independence and “unalienable” rights of every individual citizen. These rights extend to our private property, our thoughts, our expression or the things that we create. Denial of our property, thoughts and freedom of expression is a denial of liberty. Equal justice supports true diversity and genuine tolerance for individuality. Equal justice also creates a balance between the will of a majority and the rights of an individual.
Progressives on the other hand want to change our foundation by turning their backs on the founding principles and adopting a banner of “social justice”. Social justice is based on the requirements of justice being applied to the benefits and burdens of a common existence. The concept is supposed to create a socially just world. The problem is that a system of social justice uses government as the mechanism to deliver “justice”. This is accomplished through means such as progressive taxation, property and income redistribution. It subrogates the rights of individuals for those of the community. The intended result is to manufacture equal outcomes and opportunities for all by creating a procedurally just system that artificially compensates for the actual skills or contribution of individuals.
The Progressives have been pushing this agenda since the turn of the century but got their biggest boost from the 1948 U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The U.N. asked all member nations to publicize their Declaration and “to cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educational institutions, without distinction based on the political status of countries or territories.”
From the U.N. Declaration: “Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
“Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,
“Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law….
Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,
Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms….
Therefore THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.”
According to the UN Declaration of Human Rights, the purpose of government is to control the individual for the greater good of the global community.
Article 29 states, “In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society; These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.”
So to summarize under a system of “equal justice” you are born with rights and the government exists to protect them; you and the fruits of your labor belong to you. Your independence and freedom are respected.
However in a system based on “social justice” the government grants, restricts or withdraws your rights according to its needs. You and the fruits of your labor belong to the community and can be redistributed as needed. Your independence and freedom take a backseat to the “general welfare or greater good” as defined by the government. In America, charity is something occurs naturally not by the force of government.
Wake up America! The pace of transformation is accelerating. Your liberty and freedom are at stake.
Restore the Republic! Reject the Agenda of the Progressive Left.
“But a Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever” – John Adams
“Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature.” – Benjamin Franklin
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