First Round Excerpts From 1998-99 Essay Contest

The Role Of Personal Responsibility In Balancing
Individual Liberty And The Common Good

Bondurant-Farrar High School, Bondurant, Iowa

1st Lawrence McCain       2nd Phillip Cox    3rd Kathryn Johnson

"Whether the founders had the well-being of the community in mind, or whether they were concentrating more on individual liberty doesn't matter. What matters is that they came up with something with which everyone can live and something that has worked for hundreds of years."
Kylie Williamson, Bondurant-Farrar High School, Bondurant, Iowa

"The basis of the Constitution rests in the fact that if the individual's rights are looked after by the government, the welfare of the community is too. The best way for the citizens of the United States to use their rights that the founding fathers gave them is to vote."
Kristin Weuve, Bondurant-Farrar High School, Bondurant, Iowa

"We live in a totally different society today than we did two hundred years ago. The changes we have seen indicate that the founding fathers would have placed more emphasis on the protection of the community rather than the protection of individual liberties.
We all, as individuals, must be concerned with what is best for society as a whole. In turn, this concern will transmit to our governing bodies - our legislatures, our police forces, and our court systems. We are entitled to certain individual rights, but we must understand that with these rights come responsibilities. John D. Rockefeller stated, 'I believe that every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity an obligation; every possession a duty.'"
Ryan Hawkins, Bondurant-Farrar High School, Bondurant, Iowa

"The founding fathers wrote the Constitution with the intent of protecting the rights of the individual first rather than the community. A community is made up of individuals and by protecting the individual, the community is automatically protected."
Jessica Christensen, Bondurant-Farrar High School, Bondurant, Iowa

"I believe that the founding fathers basically set up the individual's freedom and the community equally. They didn't need to know how complex our society is now. The founding fathers knew that without trusting the people's responsibility, our country would never work."
Phillip Cox, Bondurant-Farrar High School, Bondurant, Iowa

"No law can discipline a young child as well as a parent. It's like trying to put laws in the parent's positions. A good parent would never let his child take a gun to school in the first place. Children are their parents' responsibility."
Kylie Williamson, Bondurant-Farrar High School, Bondurant, Iowa

"Parents should teach their children right from wrong. If all parents would raise their children to be responsible citizens, they would grow and raise their children to be responsible citizens also. Our society would face fewer problems. Children need to know the consequences for all actions, and that there are punishments for things done wrong."
Nikki Cordes, Bondurant-Farrar High School, Bondurant, Iowa

"In recent years the United States government has allowed itself to become the parent of the American people by taking on all of the responsibility which should rest on the individuals.
Congress continues to pass laws that from the beginning are viewed as meaningless. This could all change if one thing would happen; the American people need to start taking responsibility and stop blaming others for their misfortunes. In return, the American government needs to stop being the parent, and let her children grow up."
Kristin Weuve, Bondurant-Farrar High School, Bondurant, Iowa

"The Supreme Court is the only government branch that still takes into consideration the fact that the Constitution was written to put individual liberty above the community welfare. They are also the only branch to actively support individual responsibility. Congress seems to think the people who put them into power need a full-time babysitter. This is an insult. America is supposed to be the land of the free, but it really is a country calling itself a democracy because the people elect the Congressmen and court officials. The people aren't in control of anything but their own actions. The people vote for the President, but their votes are not what elects the president; Congress thought the people were too stupid to take on that responsibility. Thank goodness for the Supreme Court and their actions to support individual responsibility."
Kelly Tendall, Bondurant-Farrar High School, Bondurant, Iowa

"We need the government to step in and help control the problems of the country. If it were left up to the individuals, we would have nothing but chaos. Not everybody is responsible enough to make the right decisions. We need a governing body that tends to the needs of the community so everybody will be safe."
Jessica Christensen, Bondurant-Farrar High School, Bondurant, Iowa

"All of our laws and rules revolve around individual rights. In my opinion this is a good thing. It is our responsibility to keep ourselves under control and to take responsibility for our actions."
Tammy Utter, Bondurant-Farrar High School, Bondurant, Iowa

"Wouldn't it be nice if everyone in the world were responsible? I could leave my house doors unlocked at night. I could walk in a strange neighborhood without being afraid of being mugged. I could even drive home late at night not being afraid of being hit by a drunk driver. But in reality, the world is not this responsible.
Since some people refuse to take responsibility for their actions, the police and courts should intervene to protect the rest of the community.
People need to take personal responsibility for their actions, otherwise, they suffer the consequences of losing individual liberties. I think people should be willing to sacrifice certain rights for the community in exchange for other freedoms. If everyone were responsible for his or her own actions, the world would be a better place."
Alison Dorman, Bondurant-Farrar High School, Bondurant, Iowa

"We, the people, need to become more responsible, because if things get bad, the government will take action and more of our individual liberties will be taken away."
Nikki Cordes, Bondurant-Farrar High School, Bondurant, Iowa

"I think that this country is as good as it is because of the liberties that individuals have. Generally people are responsible and that is what has made America so strong.
American people have made all the rules and laws. If people do not agree with those laws, then it is up to them as Americans to try to change them."
Kathryn Johnson, Bondurant-Farrar High School, Bondurant, Iowa

"The role that I feel personal responsibility has in balancing individual liberty and the common good of others involves things like: giving of myself, respecting how others feel, and treating everyone how I would like to be treated. If every person in the US gave a little of themselves to others who are in need, imagine what a difference that could make in the common good of others. If everyone who could give a little money to the poor, donated clothing, or even just volunteered at children's homes, its impact would be exceedingly marvelous compared to other things we have done in the past for the common good.
If people in this country took the time to treat others with respect, there would be no need for so many new laws. If we would take responsibility for our individual liberty, new laws would be pointless. The sad thing about that is that it could only take place in a perfect world, and regretfully I have to say that this is not a perfect world.
Balancing individual liberty and the common good can only happen if all people take responsibility for themselves, and until that happens society will keep progressing in the same direction."
Phillip Cox, Bondurant-Farrar High School, Bondurant, Iowa

"The United States broke away from England because the people living here were sick and tired of the outrageous laws being forced upon them. This led to the formation of the thirteen colonies. These colonies were set up to be separate communities with different laws. The founding fathers realized that to be a country each individual and colony needed to work together. They created a bicameral government to deal with the needs of the country as well as the needs of the individual states and citizens. They knew the states should deal with the communities in the way that the individuals of that state found most efficient. They knew what they were doing.
   The United States has many elected officials, who are either indirectly or directly chosen by the people. Individuals vote for whomever they think is proper for certain positions. The biggest problem is that officials forget they are elected by the people whom they are to represent and who will decide if they stay in office. The Constitution sets forth the laws which the Supreme Court is to abide, and it names Congress responsible for setting up lower courts. Congress is elected by the people and therefore the members of Congress are the public's representatives. Congress should take a step back to realize that they are being paid to represent the public. Today we elect the court officials and they appoint the high ranking police officials. I believe these officials and officers should listen to the people and do as the majority of the people wish. If they fail to follow our wishes, the process of removing them from office should be easier and the option should be readily available. This would make the people responsible for balancing individual rights and the welfare of the community while leaving the police and courts to carry out our decisions and enforce them."
Kelly Tendall, Bondurant-Farrar High School, Bondurant, Iowa

"In 1776 America consisted of thirteen states that spread out over twelve hundred miles. Many people were farmers, scholars, and honest countrymen. Fifty-five men were chosen to construct a country from the rubble of the Revolutionary War that would represent thousands of Americans. The war was fought for freedom: freedom from political oppression, freedom from religious persecution, and freedom for equal representation. Our original representatives chose to emphasize individual liberty above the needs of the community. At that time and with those circumstances the decision was sound and reasonable.
However, today, most of the population live in urban settings with many residences within fifty feet of each other. Automobiles are driven bumper to bumper, and stress levels have reached an all time high. Times have changed since our founding fathers first framed the documents that govern our society. With those changes must come changes in the way we reason and envision ourselves and our government.
Once we revise how we think about the documents on which our society is based, we must turn our attention to those institutions that enforce the ideals those documents reflect. Instilling the police and courts with the responsibility of maintaining individual liberty is lazy. That type of system hurts the individual by denying him individual accountability and slows the process of enforcing that liberty. We elect our judges and hire the police, and once that is done people often resign themselves from any further civic duties.
If we deny ourselves the responsibility of improving our community and maintaining our liberty, then we are, by definition, no longer a part of that community. A community is made of individuals, and those individuals decide how they want to be governed. By delegating this choice to law enforcement or the courts, those institutions become the community, and we are merely spectators.
The police and courts detect and punish crimes, but it is our job to attempt to prevent those crimes. We must be careful to do all we can to deter crime. In today's society, the concept of blame is a key issue. All our problems are someone else's fault. Successful societies don't pass blame.
The government that represents its citizens best is the one that educates them best. Ignorance is the evil of every society. In order to succeed as a society, we must be willing to sacrifice indifference for education - apathy for responsibility."
Lawrance L. McCain, Bondurant-Farrar High School, Bondurant, Iowa

"Recently the Supreme Court ruled against the Gun-Free School Zones Act. This ruling is what America needs. It supports individual responsibility and the rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment. I agree with the ruling against the Gun-Free School Zone. It is a good attempt to lower the crime rate in schools, however, especially since firearms cost Americans nearly 20.4 billion dollars of health costs in 1990 alone. It would also help to decrease the market for possession of handguns by school-age children, which is quite significant. The zone would require a radius of one thousand feet surrounding the school to be gun-free as well. In my community and many others, this radius would include the homes of citizens, who are guaranteed the rights of the Second Amendment. This radius would also include the busiest road through my town (Bondurant, Iowa). Hunters would have their rights violated if they were no longer allowed to drive on this road with their guns. I also believe it is the responsibility of parents to teach their children to be responsible and knowledgeable of the dangers of guns. The Supreme Court was conclusively correct with its decision."
Kelly Tendall, Bondurant-Farrar High School, Bondurant, Iowa

"On average, more than fourteen youth each day are killed by gunshots. Many students fear violent attacks traveling to and from school as well as within school itself. This fear leads many young people to conclude mistakenly that a gun is their best means of defense.
Yes, we have the right to bear arms, but we must be responsible as to how we use that right."
Lindsey Stoll, Bondurant-Farrar High School, Bondurant, Iowa

"There needs to be a law that protects the students in school and makes them feel safe, but also protects the rights of the surrounding community. The first thing the government needs to do is keep guns out of the hands of teenagers. There needs to be stricter laws and penalties for teenagers who are found with guns. If we stop this, there won't be a problem in schools."
Alison Dorman, Bondurant-Farrar High School, Bondurant, Iowa

"The government needs to wake up and realize individual responsibility and freedom is the system on which America was established and on which it should continue running. Without this system, freedom does not exist."
Kelly Tendall, Bondurant-Farrar High School, Bondurant, Iowa

"The only way that individual liberty and the common good of others can be protected is if all people will take responsibility for their own actions and decisions."
Phillip Cox,Bondurant-Farrar High School, Bondurant, Iowa

"As far as examples of taking responsibility for our own actions, there is spouse abuse, drug abuse and child abuse, while there are things like murder, gangs, and dirty politicians that our government can control. I have a good friend who thinks just the opposite. She says that we should always be able to take responsibility for our actions. I don't agree with her because sometimes people are forced to take an action that they believe strongly against, while others are duped into performing an action."
Thomas Brown, Bondurant-Farrar High School, Bondurant, Iowa                                            

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