by Thomas Balderston

Freedom defined – The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.  The power of self-determination attributed to the will; the quality of being independent of fate or necessity. 

In America, many enjoy a degree of freedom that billions elsewhere can only imagine. Born in a democratic nation that has experienced extraordinary growth and held a dominant economic position for much of its nearly 250-year history, we are fortunate—and we should be thankful. Yet not everyone is. Much of the country’s success rests on an attribute many accept unconsciously: freedom itself.

Freedom and independence go hand in hand. Independent people do not line up primarily for government handouts. They seek the opportunities the nation uniquely provides. That requires analysis: Which opportunities best fit an individual? How hard are they to obtain? What must be done to make the most of them?

Independence defined — Free from the influence, guidance, or control of another or others; self-reliant. Not determined or influenced by someone or something else; not contingent.

The Nanny State

Over time, however, government has become a “nanny” for many. Dependency grows and expectations rise. It is now common to hear calls for reparations, healthcare as an unconditional right, expanded welfare, higher food-stamp benefits, a guaranteed minimum income, tolerance for shoplifting justified by personal need, and greater empathy for criminals than for their victims—often explained by upbringing, wealth gaps, race, or ethnicity. In this environment, freedom has become, for some, an anathema or simply too difficult. Independence demands effort, learning, thinking, and work. Dependency does not.

The government’s proper role is not to perpetuate reliance but to help citizens embrace a land of opportunity. The image of Uncle Sam should be that of a classroom leader—an open text in his hand, a blackboard behind him showing upward growth, and attentive students. It should not be a figure in red, white, and blue with a dollar symbol on his outfit, hands overflowing with cash, while an audience reaches out or kneels for what has fallen to the floor. Uncle Sam should act as educator and mentor: supporting the strongest possible educators, curriculum, and schools; incentivizing productivity and contribution; and teaching the foundations of the nation and what makes it distinctive. Education should form patriots and capable individuals, not serve as a vehicle for indoctrination. It should equip people to seize opportunity, not condition them to expect provision. It should encourage success so that private charity can aid the less fortunate. Private charity typically delivers a greater portion of each dollar to beneficiaries than government programs burdened by bureaucracy.

Political Promises – Free Stuff

Yet politicians are frequently rewarded at the ballot box for promising more free benefits—higher welfare payments, expanded Medicaid, Medicare for all, larger refundable tax credits paid to those with little or no earnings, rent controls, and wealth redistribution through higher taxes on the successful. Such promises enlarge the dependent population and quietly strip many of the habits and confidence that freedom requires. Some never fully realize what they have lost; they grow fearful of the very independence that once defined the American experiment.

This dynamic helps explain the appeal, in certain circles, of more expansive socialism or communist-leaning ideas that place government fully in charge. Consider successful residential areas under such systems. In places like parts of Palm Beach County, Atherton, California, Aspen’s Red Mountain, or affluent sections of Dallas, most residents achieved their positions through effort within a system of opportunity. Under heavy redistribution and centralized control, those neighborhoods do not remain filled with independent achievers. History shows they tend to be occupied by political leaders, party officials, and their networks—the overseers of the dependent population. The producers are marginalized, creativity suppressed, and hard work dismissed. Look at Russia or various autocratic regimes: the gated estates belong primarily not to inventors, producers, and entrepreneurs, but to those who hold power.

Embrace Freedom Anew

America needs to re-embrace freedom in practice, not merely in rhetoric. The education system must improve at teaching actual history and the habits that produce productive, self-reliant citizens. Ideas centered on diversity, equity, and inclusion that prioritize group identity over individual agency often reinforce dependence rather than overcome it. The ideology commonly called “progressivism” has, in important respects, produced the opposite of progress; “regressivism” is the more accurate description. The pendulum has swung far. A corrective phase is possible if enough Americans vote for leaders committed to strengthening education around opportunity, personal responsibility, and national foundations.

We cannot ignore the significance of a person’s vote. Too many fail to exercise their right as a citizen, thinking “what does one vote matter?” It does—especially collectively. Organized ideological groups can achieve success when they unify, for the good and for the not so good. Join hands with those who support your ideas; for me, that means supporting the American ideal of freedom and opportunity. Then go to your polling place and cast your vote accordingly. There is good and evil in this world. Resisting destructive forces that amass through the ballot box can be countered when the numbers from rational thinkers prevail.

Votes Matter – Elections Matter

When politicians advocate for men in women’s sports, medical interventions that alter sex characteristics in children too young to decide for themselves, open borders and citizenship for illegal immigrants, defunding essential security forces, government-funded healthcare for all (despite recent surveys showing high personal satisfaction with existing coverage), reparations for slavery that ended more than 150 years ago, or, in some cases, elements of Sharia law, pause and consider the consequences rationally.

Recent data underscore the gap between elite advocacy and public preference. A January 2026 Searchlight Institute/Tavern Research survey found 76 percent of voters satisfied with their current health insurance. An NBC News Decision Desk/SurveyMonkey poll in late 2025 reported 82 percent satisfaction with current coverage. Gallup’s November 2025 data showed 65 percent of Americans rating their own healthcare coverage as excellent or good. On election integrity, a Pew Research Center survey in August 2025 found 83 percent of U.S. adults favor requiring government-issued photo identification to vote (including 71 percent of Democrats). A July 2026 Fox News poll similarly showed 77 percent support for photo ID to cast a ballot.

Elections matter. Those who favor limited government, stronger schools that teach what makes free people free, protected sovereignty, and controlled borders must not be complacent. They must vote. Resistance to straightforward measures that ensure eligible citizens can cast ballots while preventing fraud or non-citizen voting is telling. When large majorities of Americans support voter ID, why does a class of politicians resist? It often comes from those whose political strength rests on an expanded dependent class. Policies presented as compassionate toward minorities or the disadvantaged frequently prove more destructive than helpful to the people they claim to serve, while consolidating power for those who design them.

We Can Do Better

We remain a free people in a nation built on freedom. But we must do a better job teaching our children and ourselves what freedom actually means, what it requires, and how to take advantage of the opportunities America uniquely offers. 

Independence—not socialism or communism—is the answer. The task is to incentivize effort, skill, and contribution rather than cultivate passive reliance. Freedom is not self-executing. It must be understood, practiced, and defended.

Far too many today take freedom for granted. They have given in to overtures, become less free and more dependent, and accepted their lot. They lack clarity about why America offers more than anywhere else in the world. They have lost ambition, drive, desire, and the knowledge that they are free to make themselves better. Who made them forget? Who can incentivize them anew to be more American? Your vote can help restore freedom in America for everyone.  Awaken the sleeping giant of freedom within.

America’s Freedom

One last thought. This blog focuses on understanding Islam. How does freedom fit in? America was founded on Judeo-Christian values, not Islamic values, and inherent in that concept is freedom—freedom for everyone, built into the Declaration of Independence, ensuring all individuals, men and women, all races and ethnicities, are free to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. Not hindered by their religion or political party. The laws are common laws, applicable to every citizen. It is not Sharia, a separate construct dictating to an ideologically linked class and administered by their chosen leaders. In America we do not kill family members if they choose to love outside their ideological framework. We do not require hijabs or restrict what you choose to eat. That is for you to decide, individually, independently, and freely. That is America’s freedom.