Is freedom when the government doesn't tell the people what to do?

Question

Or is freedom when the people tell the government what to do?
Which attitude do you think the founders of this country had, toward the government, regarding their freedom?

Crawdaddy, You sure gave me a long answer after telling me that these two attitudes are "opposite and opposing" and not recognizing the simple truth. If you have the latter, you have the former.

Answer 1

the founders were socialists
and they would say... "government by the people"

Answer 2

Freedom is having the ability to protect and enjoy our rights as humanbeings, life, liberty, the pursuit of happines. Our forefathers believed that the "people", would essentially tell the government what they thought about what should be done. The government today is far too large, and thinks that it is far too powerful, and surely if you paid attention in history class, you know what happens next. We eventually have to start all over. And I just hope "we the people" are strong enough to fight for our freedoms again!

Answer 3

Seeing as the founders of this country were oppressed by a monarchy, they probably resented the goverment. The goverment they installed was different though, working to protect our freedom, rather than withhold it from us. So it can go both ways. If people told the goverment what to do, assuming "the people" are all logically thinking, moral people, they would actually be the goverment. I personally see the gov't as necessary to prevent chaos and destruction, depending on whose in the goverment of course = )

Answer 4

A government is a body that govern things.

As bad a government is, it's much worse if there's no government all.

Government need people and people need government. The two work together to survive.



It's freedom when people don't order around government what to do and government don't order around people what to do.

What happen today is not freedom, people attacking and ordering around government, making government powerless. And also government were ordered to do things that benefit neither government and people, eventhough these things were said to be beneficial for them.



As founding father.

Well, the same people who supported George Washington into power is the same people who supported Saddam Hussein into power.

Answer 5

We the people for the people would kind of imply that I would think.
Our freedoms now consist of things like being watched with cameras,phones being tapped, peaceful protesting actions of government a terrorist crime,our media newspapers being suppressed and declaring war on another country without the consent of congress. Freedom feels now sort of like a dictatorship.

Answer 6

freedom is an illusion created to give people the idea that they can choose what they want. In reality its basically chosing between two things that are basically identical. In the two party system we choose between two ideologies prochoice/prolife, etc while all the time they do exactly what the handlers and lobbyists tell them to!!!

Answer 7

The people who are in Congress and the Presidency are elected to serve the people. That means the people are in charge and can rightfully expect their representatives to represent them correctly. So freedom would mean that the people tell their government leaders what to do not vice versa.

Answer 8

if government listens to people then what govt is that.Then its the people ruling the government and not vice-versa.people have enough freedom to express their opinion.At the end of the day government always decides which way to go.

Answer 9

Freedom is your acknowledgment that you recognize and accept your right to choose to either abide by or not abide by the tenets and laws of a community.

The operative word is "Choice," your right to choose.

Answer 10

Freedom is the result of fair laws.

Answer 11

mutual understanding is freedom..government does whats good for ppl,and ppl chose the government which has the best attitude towards ppl..