Events of recent history indicate that Americans are setting a course for the end of their own great nation. The ever growing trend in this country is to judge people, not by their individual character, but by their identity as a member of a specific group No one has ever succeeded or failed in life as a result of their group affiliation A person's success or failure is also not based on luck, but on the sum total of the decisions that they have made. Those who succeed do so through good work ethic and their wise use of their power to choose The opposite is true for those who fail The ideals of individual accountability and responsibility in the United States are dying everyday. A gun cannot be responsible for a death, just as a shovel cannot be responsible for digging a ditch Both are only tools, that have no will of their own Responsibility is an adjunct through conscious choice and is the price we pay for freedom Freedom is also a tool It is an essential tool needed by human beings if they are to prosper, rather than to merely survive. Yet there are those who would rather trade their freedom for security Some believe that it is the responsibility of government to provide for you In truth, we form government to ensure and protect the freedom that is already inherently ours