Camden Central High
Camden,
Tennessee
Teacher: Mrs. Wanda Allen
Civic Virtue
By
Candice Inman
12th grade
In today’s society many people only think about them selves, but we are not the only ones affected by our actions. Our actions also affect the people around us. We all have the individual liberty to stand up for what we think is right. This is where civic virtue comes in; we as citizens have to put our own personal interests aside and promote the common good. This doesn’t mean sit back and let the politicians handle it; it means stand up for what you believe in and in the end be satisfied with what the authority decides is best for all.
We alone cannot use civic virtue to promote common good, because we are human and will at times put ourselves before others that is why we need the government. “It is in vain to say that enlightened statesmen will be able to adjust these clashing interests, and render them all subservient to the public good,” said James Madison in the Federalist Papers Number 10. The government is broken down into parts to be sure no one’s liberties are denied or taken advantage of. The government also protects the common good as well as possible.
As citizens of this free country we should feel blest; many people around the world don’t have the freedoms we do. We should take advantage of this and use our freedom of speech and let our voice be heard, and exercise all of our rights to promote the good of all. Can we truly call ourselves citizens if we are not participating? Aristotle says living somewhere does not make you a citizen being, but involved and participating does.
It is hard to balance individual liberty and common good, because there are so many factors involved. However, our government does the best it can to ensure our liberties as well as protect the common good. Today the world has grown larger and more complex than when the Constitution was written and we have seen it has prevailed against the test of time, yet I feel one day we will have to create some better equalizer because I have seen certain issues rotate. In connection with racism, many African Americans were treated very badly, but in trying to compensate for their mistreatment we have hurt whites. Now many whites feel their rights are being undermined due to the over concern of not mistreating the African Americans. "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." The Declaration of Independence clearly states we were all to be equal, yet we are human and do not always live up to this expectation. The Declaration of Independence also states that the government will do its best to protect our individual rights. "That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed..."
Our founding fathers set up a system of government with checks and balances to ensure that our individual liberty and common good were protected. The Constitution was set up with both the common good and individual rights in mind. They constructed it so that it would not only rely on civic virtue; it contains different branches that represent the different interests of the people.
“Guard the Constitution and the rights of individuals from the effects of those ill humors …and serious oppressions of the minor party in the community,” said Alexander Hamilton in the Federalist Papers Number 28. “Liberty is to faction what air is to fire… but it could not be less folly to abolish liberty, because it nourishes faction, than it would be to wish the annihilation of air, which is essential to animal life, because it imparts to fire its destructive agency,” said James Madison in the Federalist Papers Number 10. This shows our forefathers were intensely searching for the answer to a problem with no answer. There is no way to balance civic virtue and the common good, yet they put together a solution that has held our country together for many years. Our Bill of Rights, for example, lists many of our individual rights and it gives the government power to make any law they feel is necessary for our well being. I believe they did the best they could do in constructing our government and it is successful, not faultless but it has proved sufficient.
Questions
1.Why does Machan use "steal" in his statement: "Private property solves this problem, but was abandoned a long time ago when taxes reached the point where we can steal our way to being provided with all sorts of things we desire, never mind thinking about paying for them or long-range budgeting."?
Many people in today’s world do not even attempt holding a job because they feel it is the government’s job to take care of them and provide them with a home. So, it is like they are stealing from all of those who do work. Because the people who work pay taxes and then the government provides free stuff for the people who don’t work.
2. Machan said: "For that which is common to the greatest number has the least care bestowed upon it." Give two examples of this from your personal experience.
In DECA we put on a fashion show every year and every year the same thing happens. Since we have about forty members, people just assume someone is going to take care of everything and then they don’t put forth any effort to help. I work Pocket’s, a convenient store; we used to just do whatever needed to be done. Then, the manager created a list of things that needed to be done so every shift thinks the next shift will take care of it because they now it has to be done.
3. Do you agree with Machan that "...everybody is more inclined to neglect the duty which he expects another to fulfill; as in families many attendants are often less useful than a few."? Give an objective example of this.
I don’t agree that everybody is like this, but some definitely are. My mom has four brothers and sisters and if there is ever anything wrong they all split the responsibility, but my dad has three brothers and sisters and if anything goes wrong they just expect my dad to fix everything because he eventually always does so they don’t even attempt to.
4. State Kershner's First Law. Do you agree or disagree and why?
I agree because you can already see the effect of them “stealing” from the rich and giving to the poor. More and more people are “poor”, because the government is taking care of them. And the number will continue to increase as long as the government continues to care for them.
5. What industry was the first to be taken over by government in both ancient Rome and the USA?
The first industry to be taken over by government in both ancient Rome and the USA was transportation.
6. Is cheapened money the cause or the outcome of inflation? Explain. Cheapened
Money is the cause of inflation because prices will rise to balance the money of less value. Cheapened money is also the outcome of inflation because the rise in prices will make the money even more worthless.
7. How did the Edict of 301 affect Rome's economy?
The system of comprehensive wage and price controls enforced under a penalty of death. The unreasonable prices caused Romans to stop bringing goods to market. There was a lot of fighting because so many violations where made to the edict.
8. Lee claims that individuals could be "entirely independent of others" except for what? Explain.
Without scarcity, everyone would have everything they needed; therefore scarcity is what keeps individuals from being entirely independent of others. Since scarcity is existent people provide things for others that they cannot provide for themselves.
9. Describe the dilemma concerning rules as discussed by Lee.
In a world with no rules there would be anarchy. People could do anything they pleased as long as they had the power to do it. People would then use all of their resources to protect everything they owned because they would have no security. In this kind of world no freedoms would be assured and most would be poor.
10. Why is the concept of private property crucial to freedom?
Private property would encourage individuals to strive to better themselves. Yet, without it they would have no motive to be productive. Private property is also critical to the growth of teamwork and competition. The individual liberties exercised by all are expanded by private property.
11. Argue both pro and con that in his testimony Lawrence Reed was advocating compassion and aid for the poor.
“If you want to take the scarce resources of society and trash them, all you have to do is take them away from the people who created or earned them, and had them over to some central authority to manage.” Threw out the whole paper he is not supporting aid for poor at all I feel.
12. "If people are free, they will not earn equal incomes; conversely, show me a people who have equal incomes and I will show you a people who are not free." Explain in your own words Mr. Reed's meaning.
All people are different. We have different personalities and different work ethics; therefore we will vary in productivity. So our incomes will not be equal because we are free. If we were forced to have equal incomes, it would become an invasion of rights because we would be limited on what we could do with our own money. We would no longer be individualist because we would all eventually become the same individual.