Letter: U.S. voted for promise of security over opportunity for freedom

The problem with the 2012 election wasn't who Americans voted for; it was what we voted for. We essentially voted for the promise of security over the opportunity for freedom.

Among other things, one side promised the security that comes with "free" health care; free phones, free contraceptives, free abortions; amnesty without working for citizenship; food-stamps without work; extended unemployment benefits; partial forgiveness of student loans; access to taxpayers' money just to make life "fair." As stated in an Obama brochure, this side promised "middle class security."

On the other hand, the other side promised an economic climate to create private-sector jobs; opportunities to work, to create and try new ideas, to become self-reliant and independent of the government; to pursue individual happiness without the intrusion of government and to strive to decrease the national debt. In short, this side promised the opportunity for individual freedom — the freedom to try, to fail, to learn and grow from failure and to try again.

This is of utmost importance to understand because, as Richard L. Evans stated, "There is no security without freedom, no matter who guarantees it or how … and he who trades his freedom for the promise of security has lost both."

Joyce Erickson

Centerville