>>In a much quoted passage in his inaugural address, President Kennedy said, "Ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country." It is a striking sign of the temper of our times that the controversy about this passage centered on its origin and not on its content. Neither half of the statement expresses a relation between the citizen and his government that is worthy of the ideals of free men in a free society. The paternalistic "what your country can do for you" implies that government is the patron, the citizen the ward, a view that is at odds with the free man's belief in his own responsibility for his own destiny. The organismic, "what you can do for your country" implies that government is the master or the deity, the citizen, the servant or the votary.<<
Karen -
Here, Milton Friedman uses the words "country" and "government" as if they are interchangeable. In doing so, I think he distorts the meaning of Kennedy's call to action.
Even if the government is requiring the service, aren't those who are being of service doing it for the benefit of their fellow countrymen? We generally consider
our men and women in the Armed Forces to be serving their country, not their government. Why should it be different for people who serve in schools, or hospitals, or community centers?
- Allen |
