The leaders of our two main political parties have one thing in common. Most of them are authoritarians. Authoritarians are people who want to tell us what to do—and what not to do. We must not take a step without their permission. They are happiest when they are creating executive orders, taxes, laws and regulations that limit our ability to do as we wish.

            Authoritarianism is the opposite of personal freedom, which is the right to do what we want to as long as it doesn’t hurt somebody else. The United States was conceived with the idea that its citizens have unalienable rights that can’t be taken away from them. Unfortunately, these rights have been eroded to the point where, instead of being the freest country in the world we are now well down the list.

            People who support authoritarians are looking for a strong leader who can wave a magic sword and fix everything that’s wrong, but authoritarians see everything in black and white. They have no flexibility and want everybody to bow to them. Leaders like this end up making our world a whole lot worse. Lord Acton said, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

            Big government promotes authoritarianism. George Washington, who was our first president but declined to be king, said, “Government is not reason. It is not eloquence. It is force. Like fire it is a dangerous servant and a fearsome master.” How many of today’s leaders would decline a crown? How many act as if they already have one?

            Authoritarians keep us in a constant panic by hammering us about “threats”—which may be from other countries, our own people or natural forces—and which must be countered with drastic measures, including unending warfare, higher taxes and the right for government organizations to spy on us. All of these reduce our personal freedom. Should we give in? Benjamin Franklin said it best: “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”

            Authoritarians don’t like aspects of our Constitution. They don’t like free speech when it means that people can criticize them. They don’t like other parts of the Bill of Rights if these rights limit their powers. They wish they could alter the Constitution to suit their own view of the world—and to give them more power.

            We owe it to our descendants to fight against those who would grab unlimited power and reduce our personal freedom. If we don’t, our children and grandchildren will live in a world of confining walls instead of unlimited horizons.