Burlington High School
Burlington, Kansas
Teacher: Devra Parker
We Are Blessed To Be Where Are
By Danielle Mingle
12th grade
Imagine living in a hut in the middle of the desert [using] the floor for your bed. Your family is eating only two small meals a day, with bugs on the side, with a plate that does not get cleaned with hot water. …Seeing your [child] is the best event of the day.
Americans are blessed to have the liberty to not live like that. Most of the families that live in the United States have a house with windows, doors and rooms. … [They are] polite to each other, and are not scared [that today may be] the only day they have left.
Our [ideal] is to accept [people] from different countries, so they can live the life that they want.…Traveling overseas to see the Statue of Liberty [may be] a dream come true [for some] children and parents. They [realize] that they can start a new life with [freedom]…. Our [country’s] responsibility is to help every person that needs help and still [offer freedom]. …
All parents support and care about their children. In [some] countries…kids are running [for] their lives [in fear] of being shot. Children…help their families at a young age in [many] countries. [In America] we have child [labor laws].
In the United States, families have the freedom to have as many children as they want as long as they take care of them.… In [some] countries the amount of children [a family may have is limited]. [Sometimes a child is killed if it is of a certain sex or has a disability]. In this free country, [the] doctors find a way to let [disabled children] live [full] lives as [close to] normal as possible. This is not so in [all] countries. [If a] child is found with a disability of any type, then that child would be left out in the desert or fed to animals. If the United States government found out that this was happening in this country, they would find a solution. …
People in different communities help children that have no families and no place to go. These people [try] to make a difference in their communities. If [helping] means not having so much wealth to help someone that is in need, they [are free to choose this course]. In [some] other countries, the government wants the people to live on their own and [without] help. The United States is blessed with workers that can build houses that are pleasant but at the same time strong. In big cities there are homeless people and their house is built from cardboard or a trash can. Citizens should be happy that they are able to live in a house even though it is not their [dream house]. People should at least notice homeless [people] and try to [give] some help. [In most cities] homeless [people are free] to lie on the ground and to live in the street. …In [certain] other countries if they are found…they would have a [good] chance of being shot. Communities in other nations [are not as tolerant].
Do [Americans] ever wonder how they would find food without buying [it] at their local supermarket? [Many] have no clue how to survive without [others] supplying the food. Citizens should be glad that they do not have to go and find their own food.… In [the USA the responsible residents work at a job and] receive money. With the money [they] buy food and housing.… While other countries do not promote [or even offer] education, …the United States is working to better [educate] more people, young [and] old….
Citizens of North America do not live like other countries. They have freedom to live [as] they want if their way of living [does] not break any laws…. If people do break the law…then they are arrested.… Families are not worried about their children dying from walking over to the park. [Americans] should just realize that they are making their community a better place by being a good citizen and [appreciate] the freedom that they have.
Answers to Questions Regarding the Required Reading
Q1-What do you think Justin Reiter meant by including the following in his essay?
“…if the people are not accustomed to the freedom they will be angered by the inequality.” Were you angered by some of the things Justin said in his essay? Did you agree or disagree?
I believe that Justin meant that people in the United States do not reason how much they have freedom and if they did not receive independence they will be upset on how they are living. I was not anger by what he said I do agree with him because he is telling the truth and how people live.
Q2- Explain: “He felt that the common good could be served by each individual pursuing self-interest.” To whom did Chris Carney attribute these feelings?
Chris Carney attribute these feeling to James Madison. He believes that Madison knew that people would help if they were wanting to help the other people.
Q3- In the next to the last paragraph in her essay, Faith Doyle discuses Emperor Diocletian and his Edict of 301. Relate that to the essay topic.
It was saying that the common good did not want to sell items for unreasonable prices. The government wanted the people to be happy so the government taxed the people while they were working for the government.
Q4- Kelly Lanier says in her essay: “Even though everyone is born with the same rights here in America; sometimes a person can step on or take away the rights of another person.” Relate the example she gives and give us another one of your own.
My family is living life with barely any extra money while people in a lower class are spending money to go on vacation and have tons of extra money that the government provided them. If one as enough time to go on a vacation then they can have time to get a job and support them.
Q5- Explain what Joshua Spencer means when he says that “individual liberty is a fragile, yet powerful, asset.” How does he relate individual liberty to dictators? Do you agree with his assessment? Why or why not? Be specific.
Individual liberty is the freedom which Americans can do what they want under the law. They can own their own business and make their own amount of money, high or low. Dictators are the no freedom of people and they are forced to do what the government wants. Yes, I agree with the government does not need to pay for people that can work on their own.
Q6-Luck Hall asked “Will we maintain our freedom or destroy it to be safe?” How would you answer that question?
Well if all Americans understood their freedom we should maintain our freedom. When this happens then we would not have so many crimes and we would have no reason to destroy our freedom to be save.
Q7- Some people, according to which student essayist in 1999, suggested that “the Constitution's framers might have 'put greater emphasis on the protection of the community over individual liberty', had they seen the world today.”? She doesn’t agree. Do You?
Molly McGlane does not agree with the statement. I agree because if we had protection of the community then individual will live a life in peace. People would live a life that did not need freedom if we are equal and knew the difference between right and wrong.
Q8- “Just because a law may achieve desirable results, it should not take precedence over the Constitution.” Do you agree or disagree? Aaron Traffas, discusses the Ban on Smoking in Public Places and the Gun Free School Zones Act. How do you personally feel about these two issues?
I agree because if the
law helps the whole country even though it is precedence over the
Constitution. It is better for the people of the United States. I disagree
strongly with what Aaron was saying. Smoking is a terrible item and the
healthy people should not be focused to do events just because the smoking
people. The Gun Free School Zones Act is used to help save the students from
being hurt.
Q9- Annie St. Romain referred to a book in her essay where “the government regulated every possible aspect of human life from profession to family to emotions.” What was the name of that book? Have you read it?
The book is The Giver and I have not read the book.
Q10- “As nations grow in size and social complexity, governments claim greater powers to restrain individuals and groups. Those who criticize this development believe that it has gone so far as to threaten the existence of individual liberty. Others believe that only if government is granted such powers, can complex problems be solved.” This quote can be found in Jessie Veit’s essay. Which side of the issue do you support and why?
The side about it has gone so far as to threaten the existence of individual liberty because the government should have a limited about of powers and the people of the nations have powers too. If the people did not have then their individual liberty would be lost.
Q11- Give three examples where personal responsibility would replace the need for laws. Do not duplicate those found in Patrick Karcher’s essay.
The individuals that have STD’s did not have sexual intercourse then there would not be the need for a law making it a federal crime to spread AIDS. If everyone were their seatbelt there would not be a law against not wearing one. If everyone was responsible to go a safe speed then would not be laws regulating the speed limit.
Q12- It is obvious that Benji Lehman is idealistic. In his essay he claims when the founding fathers “wrote the constitution they put a great emphasis on each person having personal rights as well as individual liberties. The true strength of each and every community falls on the individual. Believing each man, woman, and child will, and can recognize the importance of good responsibility. … These were laws that gave each and everyone of us the opportunity and self-respect to do the right thing.” Benji believed that people would make choices that would serve and benefit their communities. Do you believe that? Please explain.
I do believe that because if everyone was responsible for their own ways and lives then we would not have crimes. If a community had people that did not have responsible then the community would be low and not helping each other out. But if there was a community that had people that was responsible than they would be serve to help each other and make their community better.