According to Spanish authorities, nearly 49,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in less than 24 hours, creating what officials described as an unprecedented border crisis.

Morocco has a king. It also has government run healthcare and other government programs that some members of the Democratic Socialists of America and others on the progressive left want to expand here in the United States.

History teaches that freedom is rarely lost all at once. It is surrendered one policy at a time as government gains greater authority over the lives of its citizens. The Constitution was written to restrain government, not to make it the center of everyday life.

Government run healthcare is not just about healthcare. It represents another step toward concentrating power in government. The more dependent citizens become on government for essential services, the more influence government has over their daily lives. That is why competition, choice, and individual liberty matter.

America became the most prosperous nation in history because of freedom, competition, private enterprise, and individual responsibility. Competition drives prices down, improves quality, rewards innovation, and expands opportunity. More choices create freedom. Fewer choices create dependency.

The answer is not fewer businesses. It is more businesses. It is not fewer healthcare options. It is more healthcare options. It is not government deciding for everyone. It is Americans deciding for themselves.

If you don’t like McDonald’s, you have every right to eat at the local family owned hamburger restaurant. That freedom to choose keeps businesses accountable, encourages competition, stabilizes prices, and gives consumers the power to walk away. The same principle applies to healthcare, energy, communications, and nearly every other part of our economy.

Once government becomes the primary provider of essential services, walking away becomes far more difficult. Liberty is strengthened by competition, choice, and decentralization, not by concentrating more authority in Washington.

As President Ronald Reagan warned:

“If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on Earth.”

Protect the Constitution. Protect free enterprise. Protect the American Dream. Once liberty is surrendered, history shows it is extraordinarily difficult to reclaim.

Why do I say “in my opinion”? Because I’m not claiming to be absolutely right, and I’m not claiming someone else is absolutely wrong. These are my opinions, based on my observations and life experiences, and they are always open to honest debate. That’s what free speech, free thought, and America are supposed to be about.