by Richard A. Cheatham, Press Media Group, LLC

Most people talk about virtue in glowing terms. Virtue is certainly subject to many interpretations and definitions. Most would say that virtue encompasses a number of classic human attributes listed below. I maintain that we’ve allowed governmental “leaders” to structure our present society in such a way that virtue is actually discouraged rather than encouraged.

Charity - This once totally private virtue has been largely co-opted by government (because “public servants” contend that Americans aren’t good and generous enough on their own). A wide variety of Welfare programs, for those with low incomes and Subsidies for the wealthy-in-need, redistribute money from those with it to those who public “servants” think should have it. Heavy taxation makes it less possible for individuals to be charitable and since government has co-opted “charity,” many feel it’s no longer their personal obligation.

Intellectual Independence - Government Education Factories (public schools) are far more geared to provide daycare and cultural amalgamation than knowledge for intellectual independence. Independent thinkers are hard to control and don’t subordinate well to political correctness. Free thinkers are often viewed today as troublemakers.

Judgement - Victimless crime laws, wherein some people impose their personal aesthetic values upon other people, attempt to prevent people gambling with their life choices. That kind of gambling, taking the benefits and paying the costs of our personal choices, is the very heart of real freedom.

Honor - Power and money flow to the most successful manipulators in Politics. Personal honor and candor? They’re extremely rare in American politics today.

Respect for the Law - A body of law far larger than can possibly be known by those who must obey and enforce it places the burden of selective enforcement in the hands of those with guns, badges and offices. There’s far less respect for what people see as arbitrary force without reason or justice. Black markets of all types are thus encouraged and growing.

Patriotism - Government’s Overseas Interventions create enemies around the world and harm our county’s reputation for future generations. Those generations will find it more and more difficult to feel “patriotic” and just do government’s bidding.

Peacefulness - The Might Makes Right Attitude of government encourages individual citizens to value and use that method of problem solving themselves.

Some say government, beyond protecting our life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, should control all realms of our lives because most American people just lack sufficient virtue. I disagree contending that it’s precisely because government has ventured so far beyond its basic functions that there’s such a shortage of virtue in America today. You get more of what you encourage and less of what you discourage. We discourage virtue.

©2006 by Richard A. Cheatham. All rights reserved. Mr.Cheatham is a professional speaker/writer and is syndicated through Press Media Group, LLC. Contact him through, Living History Assoc., Ltd., at www.LHALtd.com or DrawBackVeil@aol.com.