America's Dangerous Outcome-based Culture Threatens Liberty

A pernicious culture that prioritizes preferred outcomes over the means used to achieve those outcomes has emerged as a dangerous threat to liberty.

Americans are increasingly dismissive of constitutional protections on liberty and limits on federal power that stand in the way of reaching their desired ends.

Whether it's free speech, religious freedom, due process, or checks on executive power, Americans are willing to disregard them if they can get what they want out of government.

This sad reality has played out most recently with the debate over barring individuals on the terrorist watch list from purchasing guns. On the surface, it seems like a no-brainer to prevent terrorists from buying weapons. The problem is that being on the no-fly list, which contains 81,000 names, does not necessarily mean somebody is a terrorist. There are no clear standards for placing somebody on the list and no fair way to appeal inclusion on the list.

Throughout the Bush administration, Democrats condemned the erosion of civil liberties in the name of fighting terrorism, including the use of lists.

But because they want to look at any angle possible to restrict gun ownership and are looking to score election-year points, they have thrown such concerns out the window.

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