Fine for Congress
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by Alan Fine

Thomas Jefferson once said, "Our greatest happiness does not depend on the condition of life in which chance has placed us, but is always the result of good conscience, good health, occupation, and freedom in all just pursuits."

The founders of our beloved country were obsessed with the concept of a kinder world in which each individual would be enabled with the necessary freedoms to pursue happiness.  "We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."  That has been the quest of our country for more than 200 years.  Thomas Paine called this cause, in his Common Sense pamphlet, "...the cause of all mankind."  This inspiration, this quest, is repeated throughout our land.  "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free..."

While in its humble beginnings, the population of America was a mere four million people, by the middle of the next century, our country may approach a population 100 times larger.  The tired, poor, huddled masses have come and continue to arrive.  They have transformed our country into the most powerful nation on this planet—the envy of the world—not because of technological advancements, but because of the kind, just spirit that is our nation.  A spirit that inspires every American to defend this freedom: The Freedom to dream, and to live the dream.

Our century closes with unprecedented technological advancements that have transformed our lives.  Advancements in global communications and transportation, over the last decade alone, have enabled the masses to interface in a multitude of forms and on an unprecedented scale.  While this has wreaked havoc with cultural and national identity, these advancements coupled with the message of our prosperity and our quest has resulted in a world population yearning to "breathe free."  A move towards not just a borderless economy, but a borderless society defined by principles, not geography.  In other words, the visionary stance of the forefathers of our country has, as Thomas Paine once said, enabled the world to realize this truth and to make the cause of America, "...the cause of all mankind."

Note that technology alone has not changed the world.  While it seems readily apparent that we will continue to be confronted with advances in

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