Dear America; L. Franckowiak

a; ~1I1111111 ~DearAmerica: LeonardFranckowiak PLEASE allow me to introduce my self. My name is Liberty. I am the way of life on earth which gives ev ery human being the freedom to fol low his special pathway to the pot of gold at the end of his own special rainbow. I am the way which en courages each person to fully de velop his God-given talents and abilities. In my way, people are free to create; free to grow in mind, spirit and heart; free to discover their own uniqueness and fulfill their own spe cial destiny. I engender expression of man's God-given free will in any way which is peaceful. You sing about me in your songs and my name is mentioned some time, somewhere every single day of the year: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Re public for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all. See. There I am, near the end of the Pledge of Allegiance, linked arm and arm with Justice. For centuries men have yearned for me but knew me not-except perhaps-for a fleeting moment in the freedom of the forest or on the blue waters of the lake.

Men have enjoyed my splendor, per haps, under the hot sun in the farm fields or in the, cool breeze on the hilltops. Centuries ago the Lord came down from heaven and!said, "I am the Lord, thy God; thou shalt not have strange gods before Me." Strange gods, how ever, did appearl There were the pa gan gods of fir~ and lightning but they would be struck down by the Oneness of Him who is in Heaven. More strange gods appeared in the form of kings, di~tators, and the lord high politburo. 'rhe God of Heaven would be usurped by interlopers and man would knee[ before two masters: the true God ofliIeaven and the false man-made god ~f earth. The God of Heaven would be as He always was merciful, just and good-and He would give to man the dignity ofhu mani ty in the expression of free will. Mr. Franckowiak is a businessman in Chicago. His business includes a weekly radio program in behalf of freedom, from which this article is drawn.

387 388 THE FREEMAN July The insidious god of earth, however, would declare himself sovereign and master over all those in his domin ion and declare: We are all mortals but you, my sub jects, are more mortal than I for you shall live or die at my command. You shall toil in the fields or vineyards or factories as I direct. And the fruits of your labors shall be taken from you, in part or in whole, and shall be spent, divided or appropri ated in accordance with my whims, fan cies, dictates and caprices. I am your king and master; you are my servant and slave. Men would do as their earthly masters directed but the burden was heavy upon them. Men would quest for me, Liberty, because I would have no man in bondage. It is the axiom of my way that all men are created equal in the image and likeness of God. Even though I held the promise that men of free will would indeed be free, still I could not be had.

But my time was to come. People would emigrate to a new land. They would be called Pilgrims and pi 0neers' visionaries and revolution aries. In 1776 they would declare: When in the course of human events ... We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with cer tain unalienable rights; that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Hap piness. I, Liberty, had been given a place of honor! Not only had I been recog nized as being directly endowed by the Creator, I at last belonged to man. And man belonged to me. Oh America, how I loved thee then! There would be a great war for In dependence. Though my fate was at the crux of the battle, I could but stand immobile as a trophy on the . mantelpiece. Patrick Henry would proclaim: "... Give me Liberty or give me death." Men and women, heroes all, would indeed sacrifice and die for me. Some say I was the source of their inspiration and strength. I do not know. Could my promise be so great that I should merit such high resolve?

When the war was over and the new nation was born I was given more fame and high praises. The Preamble t9/your new Constitution would allude to the fact I had bless ings to give. "... (T)he blessings of Liberty ... ", it said. Imagine that. I, Liberty, had been placed in a realm normally reserved for the Deity. I would have blushed with pride if I were able. In the years which followed the war I would become your central theme. In his farewell address to the Na tion, President George Washington would have me so great a source of happiness that people would find glory in recommending me to the applause, affection, and adoption of every nation which did not know me. Re would also express for himself and Congress: "... a love of liberty with every ligament of the heart ... "

1982 DEAR AMERICA 389 Oh America, we were ever so much in love! Together we would banish our false god of man on earth-no imperial king, no lord high polit buro, master be damned-slavery be gone. Together we created an atmo sphere offreedom and the free spirit. America would enter the era of the rugged individualist. It was an era of self-responsibility, self-reliance and self-esteem. As if he knew how all of this fit into a common mold, Captain Eddie Rickenbacker would say of America: The four cornerstones of character on which the structure of this nation was built are: Initiative, Imagination, Indi viduality and Independence. There was in fact much individu ality but of a very special kind be cause it was also an era of great co operation. Together, people would build farmhouses, towns, cities, rail roads and factories. Oh no, the time was not without its selfish or evil people; for in an imperfect world of imperfect people they would (and probably always will be) among us.

But how America would prosper during our great romance! Can you imagine how I felt at the time? Me, Liberty, on a high throne while all around me people would overcome hardship, diminish povert)~, find prosperity and bring about the high est standard of Iiving ever achieved by anyone, anywhere on the face of the earth. 'ro be sure, material well-being is to be appreciated ~ut was that the source of Americ~'s greatness? I think not, nor did yqur twenty-eighth president, Woodrow Wilson, who said: America is not a mere body of traders. Our greatness-built. upon freedom-is moral not material. We have agreat ar dor for .gain but we have a deep passion for the rights of man. See. There we are. together again. President Wilson d~dn't mention my name - he used the name of my counterpart, Freedom-but he did talk about the rights of man and that includes me. I belong to you. Thomas Jefferson, the man' who brought us together in the DeQlaration of Inde pendence, also reminded us: "The God who gave us lif~, gave us liberty at the same time."

I know not whether I am heaven sent or earthly boupd. I only know I am pleased to be in the hearts ofmen. If I am the source ,bf happiness, in.. spiration and strength, then I give thanks to the Lord. If I have bless ings togi ve, then· I bring them to you as His messeIjlger. For I, Lib.. erty, am just a spirit; but as a spirit given life in America, I beg you let me once again ride' the high crest of our mutual love ana admiration. As you feel me in YO\ilr hearts, please also know me in yqur minds and re member me in your actions. To getherwecan build a better world~' MYoId economics professor was ab solutely sure that a favorable bal ance of trade is good; and thus, of course, an unfavorable balance of trade is bad. He told us students that the trade arrangement of "more goods and services going out of a na tion than coming in" is called favor able because that's what it is. While I accepted that conclusion at the time, I'm now convinced that (if we must choose) an unfavorable balance of trade is the best arrange ment. That is, the people of a nation are better off if more goods and ser vices are coming into the country than are going out. Here's why.