Liberty Blog - Andy Walsh

Montesquieu first describes liberty by comparing it to freedom. However, the very first thing he does is distinguished the difference between freedom with law and freedom without law. One of the first points he makes is "Liberty involves living under laws that protect us from harm while leaving us free to do as much as possible, and that enable us to feel the greatest possible confidence that if we obey those laws, the power of the state will not be directed against us." Liberty is freedom with the presence of order. No country can be truly free because people will always abuse each other and always be selfish to themselves. However, liberty is possible in all countries in the world today. In order to provide your citizens with liberty, the government must first become a government of and a government for the people. This can happen by installing an electoral system where the people choose their leaders and/or representatives. The government must also divide power among branches to ensure that no branch or person has too much power of the people of the government. The whole government system from federal to local should function with checks and balances in mind. This insures that for every amount of power there is an equal and opposite to protect the people and the country. Liberty is not living in the absence of laws and punishments. If you break the laws then certain rights you have will be revoked. Crime and justice ensure that everyone has the opportunity to live a safe and productive life without the interjection of another person illegally. Finally, Montesquieu makes the point that "The laws should not criminalize conduct that is inherently hard to prove". For the government to remain a part of a people, laws should be fair and non abstractive to the day-to-day lifestyle of the citizens. This insures the safety and security the people without breaching into there personal lifestyle. In conclusion, Montesquieu is a full believe in liberty and he understands the importance of defining exactly what liberty means as well. 

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