The Pursuit of Happiness

The third unalienable right stated as the purpose of government is the one which explicitly requires citizens to put forth effort. While life and liberty will not be maintained with out a conscientious practice thereof, “The pursuit of happiness,” contains with in it the expression of an individual responsibility to strive for pleasure.

So often today people are expecting things to be handed to them. Whether necessary or frivolous everything should be provided by government. The events of the past few days should cry a warning to those who are paying attention that government help always has a negative quality to it.

Executives of the big three automotive industry are in Washington, hat in hand, hoping that the government will bail them out of the mess that they are in. They are responsible for their own short sighted management of their affairs. There are very real consequences for the mismanagement of a major corporation. Lay offs, loss of capital, harm to the national economic welfare. That is why executives receive executive pay.

So having failed in their duties to guide and manage their Corporations to profitability or even viability, these men are in Washington, begging for the government to help them out. The Congress says, “Sure, glad to help, let us just give you what you need to keep afloat.” Not. They are willing to help with the proviso of them being able to meddle in an industry for which they have no credentials. The only history that congress has in the economic sphere is negative. If you can think of a single instance where government involvement in an industry was ever anything but disastrous, please feel free to list the examples in your comments.

So in the pursuit of happiness it is incumbent upon the pursuers to do it in a self reliant fashion or the pursuit will be infringed upon by external forces, most notably government. Government ain’t in the happy business. There is no Department of Happiness, there is no Happiness depot that the government has the keys to. If you wish to be happy, get to it. You have been equipped with all that is necessary for this pursuit by the same creator who endowed you with the right to seek happiness.