The Preamble to the Constitution reads:

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution for the United State of  America."

Too often we never look past the sentence, promote the general welfare...this is how many rationalize that the govenrment should care for the people instead of just promoting the general welfare.

If we take the time to look farther we will see the phrase Secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity. What does that mean really?

The definition of liberty is:

"Liberty is a concept in political philosophy that identifies the condition in which human beings are able to govern themselves, to behave according to their own free will, and take responsibility for their actions."

Does anyone else notice that in our vast centralized government's attempt to promote the general welfare they have limited all our liberty?

Our ability to self govern continues to diminish as state's rights have diminished...just look at the fight that Arizona is having with the federal government over their illegal immigration law.

Our ability to behave according to our own free will is being diminished by the federal government's new health care law...they are mandating that the people buy insurance or face the consequences.

Are we allowed to take responsibility for our own actions?  The government says they must control social security, it cannot be privatized because they cannot trust the people to make their own decisions or the free market to make the right decisions with money.

What I want to know is how my general welfare is promoted when my liberty is being reduced to a memory.