Burlington High School
Burlington, Kansas
Teacher: Devra Parker

Don’t Let It Go to Your Head
By Sarah Samuelson
12^th grade

 

If I was to ask you to wear a pair of pants that were too tight and a shirt that proclaimed your most embarrassing moment, the likelihood of you saying yes are slim to none. Right?  Most likely I would not be able to convince you to wear a pair of shoes that only fit your big toe.  So why does society insist that we do this very thing?  As Americans we cherish our freedom, but we only have ourselves to blame for our discomfort.
 

Looking at who the Founding Fathers were and the majority of the population, we can easily see that the freedoms we are given were not going to be abused.  They wrote the Constitution for a bunch of old white Christian men who had the integrity to do the right thing for the common good.  We are so wrapped up in our own little worlds with our individual liberties and personal freedoms that we ignore what does not benefit us.
 

Today everybody is out for him/herself, so who looks out for the little guy?  Well, that job fell into the hands of Congress.  

Laws appear to be more common sense than they used to be. Part of that is I am now able to understand what is being said.  The other half is that society as a whole, to say it nicely, [is being] challenged.  Many Americans tolerate much more than they should.  Due to their complacency Congress has no choice but to pass laws to protect people from themselves. [Never less], when [people] get caught with their hand in the cookie jar, they complain.
 

As Americans we want things our way and because of that, new laws have been passed to protect other people.  Then, when these laws hinder us we complain about our individual liberty being taken away, when it was our abuse of rights that got us into the mess in the first place.  It much resembles karma.
 

I once heard that karma is brownie points with the gods, but I think differently.  I believe that karma is like a big counter that tallies up everything you do and then gives it back to you in due time.  For example, if you live a life of crime and hurt people all the time, then chances are that you will…get pain in return….Okay, so karma is giving us what we deserve, but how did America get this way?  It is human nature to want to succeed and make life easier….  Also we are naturally competitive and proud.   I have never met a person who did not like to talk about him/herself .This…drive is what caused [the founding of] this fine country.  At the beginning [we] got everything we wanted and then some, but over time we wanted still more.  When we got what we wanted, we abused our freedom and karma came and found us.
 

Why didn’t we pay attention to the warning signs? This is a warning sign. The worst could still come. … We can try…to stop or…slow our impending doom.  One way we can do this is to put aside our own selfish motives and look at the bigger picture.  [For instant, take] the Army: these men [are wiling to] give their lives for their country…. They do not die so we can abuse what they fought for but rather so future generations will have the [same] freedoms we do.  If everyone would take a page out of their book, our karma problem would [diminish]. …

 

If we would pressure the people around us to do the right thing…such as buckling up and [refraining from] driving [while drinking], [we would be on the right track].  In the words of my mother, “You get what you get and you do not throw a fit.”  We can either stop complaining about what happens to us when we are selfish, or we can stop being selfish altogether.  It is [lack of responsibility] that cause more of [our rights] be taken away. If we want to keep them, then we need to [become responsible citizens].
  

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 he meant that if you are accustomed to everything being planned out and you have no control over what happens to you, and all of a sudden you are given the ability to choose for yourself it is overwhelming.  Not only are you overwhelmed but frustrated with others out there who are trying to take advantage of you for their own benefit. I not was necessarily angered by what he said because he is entitled to his opinion, but I did disagree with him saying that all Americans are not equal.  Someone may make more money than I do, but that does not mean he/she is better than I am. I could, I would, but I choose no to.  

 

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?

 

He attributed these feelings to James Madison.  James Madison was one of the most influential builders of the Constitution.

 

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.

 

Edict 301 regulated price of goods and wages.  The direct effect of the edict was miserable people.  He had made them all economically equal and they did not like it.  It is an example of what could happen if the American public did not have the freedom to choose.

 

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.

 

The example she gives is the right to bare arms.  She then gives the situation where the right to bare arms takes another’s right to live free from harm and to live.  As Americans we have freedom of the press, but what if I print an entry from someone’s private dairy.  Then I have violated their right to privacy.  

 

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.

 

He means that individual liberty is one to the most important rights we have but can be taken away in the blink of an eye.  For example dictators know that independent people are dangerous to him so he takes away his rights.  I totally agree that people need to be independent and self sufficient.  If you keep your self in line, then your liberties and others will fall into place.

 

Q6-Luck Hall asked “Will we maintain our freedom or destroy it to be safe?” How would you answer that question?

 

I believe that we could have both.  But if worse came to worse I would pray that the deaths of our fore fathers would not be in vain but we to would be willing to lay our lives down for freedom.

 

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 McGlone disagreed, but I do not.  I think the framers would turn over in their graves if they knew what was going on in the world today.  The majority of the freedoms given in the Constitution were for the majority of the population.  At that time the majority was white and Christian.  Their morals were what kept them from abusing their freedoms.

 

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?
 

The Constitution is first and for most the governing document.  However the laws passed must be followed; they reflect the constitution if they did not the Supreme Court would put an end to it.  I believe that my safety is important.  Smoking is bad for you and second hand smoke is worse.  Smoking is your own choice but do not make me suffer as a consequence to your habit, because that is a violation of my rights.  I feel the same about guns in school.

 

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 was The Giver by Lois Lowery.  Yes, I have read this book and of all the place to have read this book I read in class.  Many schools have banned it, I do not know why though, for some of the content.  It made me think about how utopia is not always perfect for everyone.

 

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?

 

I believe that government has the right to serve the people, but legislation is no always the solution.  Some people will always find something to whine about. 

 

Q11- Give three examples where personal responsibility would replace the need for laws. Do not duplicate those found in Patrick Karcher’s essay.

 

If you were smart you would not drive impaired, therefore a DUI would be unnecessary.  If people would be responsible for their children then negligence would not be a problem.  If  people would stop being lazy and get work harder than we could reduce the amount of welfare being used.

 

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 agree with Benji.  I believe that people should do what is right and good and not be hateful towards one another.