Dick Morris posted a great 4th of July video, Celebrating America’s Freedom, showing just how special is the freedom we have in the United States.
Some of the more striking points he made:
- In England, they cast one vote every five years, and that’s it. In the United States we have many elections, including ballot measures.
- In England the libel laws apply to all public figures. This means that nobody in the news media or elsewhere can speak freely and are forced to continually pull their punches.
- In France, the legal system is such that it is a crime to speak out against an elected official. Politicians have committed fraud, but nobody could speak out about it until after they are out of office. What happens daily in the free press of the United States would result in criminal sentences to those who speak out in France.
- In France you cannot work more than 35 hours a week without permission from the union. No second jobs, no overtime without permission. No getting ahead by working harder.
- In France, you cannot discount prices less than 10% most of the year. They don’t like competition, except on bicycles up and down mountains.
- In France, just to start a business you need to have $100,000 in a bank account, plus references plus government approval. In the US, all you need to do is say you are in business and you are.
Basically, these measures are designed to perpetuate the class system, and prevent upward mobility; a massive constriction of personal liberty.
He goes on to illustrate with several examples “kleptocracies” which are governments in much of the world whose primary purpose is to steal as much of the assets of their country as possible. And you thought we had it bad!