Freedom’s Frame

What holds our freedom together? Rick Green answers that question in his book, Freedom’s Frame. The framework has four foundational pillars. The first is the phrase: “We hold these truths.” The second is that we are “endowed by our Creator.” The third is the concept of the “consent of the governed.” And the final is “the pursuit of happiness.”

All of these ideas can be found in the Declaration of Independence. The first three describe the nature of our government. The fourth idea (the pursuit of happiness) not only is found in the Declaration, but it also sets forth the economic system of America.

Thomas Jefferson used many of the ideas of John Locke when he drafted the Declaration. Locke explains this concept in An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. We should be allowed to make decisions in an open and free market. Those individual choices will not only benefit us but others (led by what Adam Smith called an “invisible hand”).

Rick Green uses a great example to show the value of free markets versus regulated markets. As a former member of the Texas legislature, he talked about all the rules government placed on landline phones. By contrast, the cell phone industry has been allowed to grow and prosper with little governmental interference.

“The result has been truly astounding. . . . On our cell phones today, we can store numbers, write e-mails, send text messages, watch movies, take pictures, listen to music, find ourselves on a real-time GPS, and, oh yes, even make a phone call if we want to.”

With these expanding features has also come shrinking prices. This is due to a free market at work with minimal governmental regulation. He asks” “Can you imagine if wireless phones had been regulated in the same way we regulated landlines?” Government regulation would likely have prevented choice and competition and made the industry less responsive to consumer needs.

Freedom’s Frame provides an important reminder of how important political freedom and economic freedom are to our lives. I’m Kerby Anderson, and that’s my point of view.