The Founders' Intent for Liberty

Ryan Heshmati

January 03, 2025

The extent of government power in the modern-day United States has extended far beyond the bounds even the most ardent Federalists imagined. The federal government, including the long list of agencies housed under it, forms an unreasonably intrusive force in the daily lives of Americans. Moreover, the problem does not stop with the federal government; state governments like that of California have assumed so much power and exerted so much control that a citizen is left wondering where the promise of liberty has been forgotten.

Take a showerhead, for instance. Many individuals enjoy the sensation of a high-pressure shower; that is their preference. You might assume such a basic exercise of liberty, the decision to shower with high water pressure, would never be up for debate; you would be wrong. For an internet user with a California IP address, the diminished vision of liberty is as clear as a search for “high-pressure showerheads,” which yields search results that list a plethora of options but disclaim that shipping to the state of California is prohibited. Many might argue, however, that the restriction of high-pressure showerheads is well-intentioned and benefits the greater society’s interest in preserving water. Maybe so, but that reasoning is seemingly selectively applied.

A 21-year-old is free to drink and smoke despite the reality that if the use of both alcohol and tobacco went to zero, the greater society’s interest in public health would be served. The entire notion of liberty that our founders fought so hard for was that the government would not restrict a choice just because it felt it could make a better one. Discussion about the restriction of choice, of course, cannot occur without acknowledging the abortion debate, either. While with showerheads, it is the progressive state of California that is casting aside liberty, conservative states do it too, on a vastly more personal issue, in restricting a woman’s choice to elect for an abortion. Surely, conservative lawmakers are well-meaning, but they shackle liberty nevertheless.

Now, liberty is not carte blanche to do anything and everything one pleases, that would be anarchy. However, the restrictions on choice required to avoid anarchy stop well before a woman’s choice to terminate her pregnancy and certainly before a decision about shower pressure. 

As Americans, we cannot forget the resistance against overbearing government that led to the formation of the United States. We used to be resolved that a personal choice, even if it is one with potential harm, is just that: personal. It is time for legislators to remember the importance of liberty and acknowledge that lawmakers in state capitols or Washington D.C. do not usually know what’s best for each individual constituent they serve.