Hillbilly wisdom: words make a difference. The difference between we the people and we are people is huge. We means some level of inclusion. We can be as small as two or as large as everybody. The people ranks one group above others. Are people includes everyone. Race, gender, age become subheadings. Our founders’ language “all men are created equal” is just that. They were trying to sell a government to a population that basically did not trust government. The founders did not believe all men were equal. A thing as simple as voting illustrates the differences. In 1870 black men could vote (15^th amendment); 1920 women vote (19^th amendment) and The voting Rights Act of 1965 extended voting to all adults. Even within this framework, there remain restrictions which are set by the individual states.

This is not a argument for a world order but a position for personal liberties and unalienable rights of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. The form of governments throughout the world are just forms of government. The people running those governments make them work or fall short of providing for their citizens.

The people of the United States do not have universal healthcare [Life], have one of the highest rates of incarceration in “advanced” countries [Liberty]; nor financial security and job stability for it’s citizens [pursuit of Happiness]. Until we have some level of equality within the United States, we do not need to attempt to enlighten the world. Take care of your own first. How can a country project any measure of leadership to the world when we do not take care of our own. The focus of our policies should be inward not outward. We are people and deserve the equal opportunity to “personal liberties and unalienable rights”.