Freedom and independence. These two words are often at the forefront of the ongoing political struggle between the left and the right. Being a member of the political right, I have always held to the principle that  my actions favored freedom for as many people as possible and personal independence. I could never understand how people on the political left could hold the positions and opinions they do and still claim to be in favor of the same goals. They say they are for freedom. They tell me they are for personal independence. Yet the actions taken in the name of their point of view reduces freedom overall and creates dependency on government. This is an enigma.

My son was having a discussion on the Internet with a self-proclaimed leftist and member of the Green Party. While my son can certainly hold his own in any political debate, I would be an errant father if I didn't take time out to oversee his dealings with people on the Internet. Especially with leftists. You never know what kind of perverse people are lurking in gaming forums. Anyway, during this particular debate I learned something I hadn't realized before and I thought it appropriate to share with my readers.

One of the most effective tactics of the political left over the years has been the redefinition of words in order to bolster their side. Re-defining previously unacceptable behaviors as mainstream and then being righteously offended with those who dare to disagree has been sensationally effective. Another tactic is to take what they claim to despise, like racism, institutionalize it into a government entitlement like affirmative action and then brand their opponents as the racists. It is at once brilliant and insidious. Conservatives haven't been willing to totally abandon decency like our adversaries, thus we have allowed a steady compromise of our principles. We take morality, compare it with immorality, then meet in the middle in the name of bipartisan cooperation. I have heard it called "defining deviancy down."

Let's look at the word 'entitlement.' It once meant that someone was entitled to some payment or award due to some act or task they had performed. The left redefined it to mean the largess of the welfare state. It was suddenly part of our culture that assumed people who didn't do anything productive were entitled to be rewarded simply for managing to be born. If such rewards are entitlement, then it must be the duty of the state to take that reward by force from the people who earned it. Arguing against it got you labeled as a hater of the poor. Hate is another word that has been redefined. The word hate went from being a strong emotional response to something or someone you opposed to simply being in disagreement with the left.

Today it dawned on me that the left has redefined freedom and independence. Freedom to a person on the left is not liberty. It is being free to do what they want without having to concern themselves with mundane tasks like earning a living through hard work. It is being free of having to rely on themselves for their food, shelter and clothing. It is the responsibility of society to provide these things so that they may be free to pursue other interests…like activism. Independence isn't being self-reliant. To be self-reliant is to be forced to be dependent on their own efforts. In their own alleged minds, being dependent on the collective makes them independent of the harsh realities of life. So they strive to be free of labor and independent of reality. They do realize that the resources to achieve their goals are in the hands of the productive.