As our federal government has grown too large and too powerful the real loss has been the freedom of people to govern their own lives and participate fully in the American dream.
The arc of American history almost inevitably moves toward freedom. Whether it's Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation the expansion of women's rights or now gay rights I think there is an almost-inevitable march toward greater civil liberties.
I think the American people have become more reliant upon government and less reliant upon themselves and that they now tend to put security ahead of freedom but I think freedom is the most important aspect of our lives.
Americans are free to choose everything from what they eat drive and watch on TV to the President of the United States. Yet when it comes to allowing Americans to choose the health insurance that works best for them and their family the freedom to choose suddenly becomes un-American.
More than anything else let me be clear - we need to be willing to fight for freedom and free markets and traditional moral values. That's what the American people want to see this movement and this party return to.
All Americans value the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press and I believe this is essential for our continued way of life. But with this freedom comes responsibility. That responsibility has been abdicated here by some in the media and some in the government.
To us Americans much has been given of us much is required. With all our faults and mistakes it is our strength in support of the freedom our forefathers loved which has saved mankind from subjection to totalitarian power.
I think we recognize as Americans there are certain things that are just primary to the freedoms and liberties that we enjoy here and religious freedom is one of the most important things we as Americans cherish.
Now do I think there has to be shared sacrifice among other nations in the world who want a stable and secure world? Absolutely there has to be. But I don't think that America can ever abdicate its leadership role in the world because of who we are and where we've come from. We are the symbol for the world for freedom and liberty.
I think to be - for me to be an American is - you know it's one of the greatest things in the world for - you know for me just because I've been able to grow up with everything. The freedom. You know in my eyes this is the greatest country in the world.
America's Veterans have served their country with the belief that democracy and freedom are ideals to be upheld around the world.
If our freedom is taken the American dream will wither and die.
The Declaration of Independence was always our vision of who we wanted to be our ideal of freedom and justice how we were going to be different and what the American experiment was going to be about.
Bush sees the evil as out there in the wider world residing in people who 'hate freedom'. Look at his immediate response to the pictures of prisoner abuse this is not what Americans do these are not our values.
While Democrats fussed with the details of health care reforms conservatives spent months telling the nation that the real issue is freedom that what's on the line is American liberty itself.
The American dream is about freedom.
It is the people who scream the loudest about America and Freedom who see to be the most intolerant for a differing point of view.
America is just the country that how all the written guarantees in the world for freedom are no protection against tyranny and oppression of the worst kind. There the politician has come to be looked upon as the very scum of society.
I can remember when Democrats believed that it was the duty of America to fight for freedom over tyranny.
To me the American Dream is being able to follow your own personal calling. To be able to do what you want to do is incredible freedom.
And we can celebrate when we have a government that has earned back the trust of the people it serves... when we have a government that honors our Constitution and stands up for the values that have made America America: economic freedom individual liberty and personal responsibility.
It was so much fun to have the freedom to wander America with no assignments. For 25 or 30 years I never had an assignment. These were all stories I wanted to do myself.
The magic of America is that we're a free and open society with a mixed population. Part of our security is our freedom.
Not to sound overly cheesy but I really appreciate the freedom we have in America - especially as a female.
But reason always cuts a poor figure beside sentiment the one being essentially restricted like everything that is positive while the other is infinite.