“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

Famous words by President John F. Kennedy spoken about 50 years ago. Similarly, in 1916, President Warren G. Harding stated,

 “We must have a citizenship less concerned about what the government can do for it and more anxious about what it can do for the nation.”

We certainly could use more of this thinking today, however I submit that we can take it a step further. In addition to asking “what you can do for your country” let us also ask, “What can I do for myself.”

My first priority is to take care of myself and my family. I have a job and I work in order to provide for the needs of myslf and my loved ones. If I choose, I can also provide for our wants and desires if I can afford it. I can work and save and go on vacations if I choose and even do things that some might consider frivolous – if I can afford it.  At work, I provide a service. My employer pays me what he thinks I am worth for my services. As the employee, I accept what he pays me. We have a fair trade and we both are happy with the arrangement. But what about my country?

I would expect everybody to strive to do as I do – ask themselves “what can I do for myself?” This self-interest is what some are calling “greedy” today, but I would prefer to call it “independent”, or “self-sufficient”, or “responsible”. It is my job as a citizen to take care of my own affairs and not rely on the goodwill of my neighbors. The problem with asking yourself “what you can do for your country” is that it has been corrupted to imply that as citizens, we are expected to take care of one another and work for the “public good” through the mandate of “noble” leaders. This is what leads to our current state of affairs – the “nanny state”, welfare, dependence on Big Government; paying people not to work with the money of those that do; a sense of entitlement and the notion that if you are not as successful as you want to be, that it is the fault of somebody else – or the country at large.

 Today, many people who point out what Kennedy said and remind us all to “ask what you can do for your country” use the quote as a sort of guilt-trip in order to justify the seizure of more and more of your money. Claiming that it is “patriotic” to pay higher and higher taxes is part of this perversion of the words of Kennedy.

But I am not as selfish as people might claim. I intend to remain the responsible party for my successes and failures in my life and expect no charity from a “noble government”. I also expect to be left alone by Big Government who, as big as it has become, must still abide by the U.S. Constitution that some politicians accuse my type of “hiding behind.” Once my family and I are provided for, let me now state what I think that it means to “ask what you can do for your country.”

-Encourage service in the military – One of the few Constitutionally authorized roles of Big Government is vital to our survival as a nation. Many have died to protect the freedoms that we enjoy in this country. This includes the freedoms of self-sufficiency and independence that I described above. We take our freedoms for granted because of the effective efforts of our armed forces through our history that are often conducted in far-away places out of sight and out of mind of so many Americans. We must support our military not just through tax dollars, but also by joining up. We must realize that the freedoms we have here in the United States are not the norm. Tyranny, control and the seizure of money and power are the norm. Thoughout history, countries have fallen because there is always somebody who wants to force his will and to “be in charge” and run the lives of his countrymen – often under the claim that it is for the “public good.”

– Help Your Neighbors – Americans are known throughout the world as a generous and charitable people. A friend of mine describes himself as being “socially conscious” and walks around with an air of moral superiority.  What he really is though, is someone who supports the forceful seizure of other people’s money in order to pay for his own causes. Imagine what we could each do ourselves if we had lower taxes. We could help out our neighbor who needs money for an operation. We could help out the neighbor who lost his job and is looking for another one. We could be free to pick our charities and causes and help our neighbors much more efficiently than the bureacracies of Big Government. Giving a charitable gift to someone that you believe needs help is much more satisfying than being sent a bill from someone who believes he is entitled to your help citing “Ask what you can do for your country.” I want to help my neighbors. Just let me decide how to do it.

-Obey the Ten Commandments- This country was founded by Christians and evolved with the Judeo-Christian morality. Even though Big Government bans any display of such religious symbols, we luckily also have the 10 Amendements. Know the difference between right and wrong. Support right. Fight the wrong. In asking what you can do for your country, what could be better than having everybody simply do the right thing?

The quote from John F. Kennedy is as pertinent today as it was all of those years ago. The danger though is using it as a justification for higher and higher taxes to pay for the entitlements of the Nanny States of America.