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I recently heard Connecticut State Senator Martha Marx say that freedom was chaotic. That statement caught my attention, and it left me with a question: Isn’t this what the election is really about?
What are we going to choose—freedom, or are we going to accept compliance? Because compliance has a price. It means more mandates, more regulations, more tax dollars, and more government control over decisions that once belonged to individuals, families, and local communities. It means being told what to do, while too often watching the people making the rules exempt themselves from the consequences. Is that the kind of government we want?
The slow erosion of freedom
There is an old story about a frog in a pot of water. If the temperature rises gradually, the frog fails to recognize the danger until it is too late. Whether or not the story is scientifically accurate, the warning is worth considering People can become accustomed to losing freedoms a little at a time. A new regulation here. Another mandate there. Another government program that requires more of our money and gives bureaucrats more authority over our lives. Eventually, we may look around and wonder how we got here.
Connecticut residents should be asking that question now. In recent legislative sessions, lawmakers have debated proposals involving land use, water, air quality, vehicle emissions, and the transition to electric vehicles. Other proposals have raised concerns about parental authority and the role of government in education. We need to look at these proposals individually, understand what they require, and consider their cumulative effect. The question isn’t whether government should ever establish rules. It is whether the state is reaching too far into the lives of the people it represents.
What are you willing to give up?
Let us talk about electricity. Connecticut’s larger green-energy initiative raises an important question: Why are we pushing to electrify more and more of our lives without first ensuring that we can produce enough reliable, affordable electricity to meet the demand? Electric vehicles, home heating like heat pumps and other forms of electrification will require a substantial increase in our power supply. Yet instead of prioritizing abundant, dependable electricity through natural gas turbines and other reliable sources, our energy policies continue to place heavy emphasis on solar and wind, which are intermittent and cannot reliably meet our needs on their own. If we want to move toward an increasingly electric future, shouldn’t we first make sure we have the power to support it? And shouldn’t families retain the freedom to choose the vehicles and energy sources that best fit their needs and budgets, rather than having government push them toward a future before the infrastructure is ready?
Keep in mind that electric vehicles need to be charged. Homes need electricity. Businesses need reliable power. Before politicians promise a future in which we all depend more heavily on electricity, shouldn’t they demonstrate that our electric grid can reliably meet that demand at a reasonable cost?
What happens when demand grows faster than supply or the infrastructure needed to deliver it? Who pays for the upgrades? What happens to electric bills? And what about solar panels and battery storage? Solar can be useful, but its output varies with sunlight, and storage has costs and limitations. We should be able to discuss these practical challenges honestly without being accused of opposing progress. The issue is not whether electric vehicles or renewable energy have a place. It is whether government should dictate our choices especially before the infrastructure, affordability, and reliability questions have been adequately addressed.
Who owns your property?
Let’s talk about land, water, and air. Environmental protection matters. Clean water and clean air benefit everyone. But environmental goals should not become a blank check for government to expand its authority over private property and the everyday decisions of Connecticut residents.
When lawmakers propose new powers over land use or natural resources, citizens deserve to know exactly what those powers would permit, whom they would affect, and what protections property owners would retain. Owning a home or a piece of land should mean more than paying the mortgage, paying property taxes, and then waiting to see what the government will allow you to do with it. We must be able to protect our natural resources while respecting property rights and holding government accountable for the restrictions it imposes.
Who gets to raise your children?
Now let’s talk about something even more fundamental: our children. Is it the government’s responsibility to parent your children or is it yours? Parents have the primary responsibility to raise their children and make important decisions about their upbringing and education. That includes significant questions about school choice, homeschooling, and the values families want to teach. Whenever lawmakers propose additional requirements or oversight for homeschooling, parents should ask what problem the legislation is intended to solve, what new authority it gives the state, and whether it unnecessarily interferes with parental responsibility. Public education is important. So are the rights of families to make educational decisions within the law.
Government should not assume that because it can regulate something, it should control every aspect of it. The same principle applies to school choice. Should parents have meaningful options in deciding where and how their children are educated, or should those choices be determined primarily by government policy? These are not trivial questions. They concern the next generation and the limits of government power.
What about your money?
Finally, let’s talk about your money. You work for it. You earn it. You save it. You make sacrifices to support your family, pay your bills, and plan for retirement. Yet every new mandate and government program ultimately has to be paid for by someone. Higher spending can mean higher taxes, additional fees, greater costs for businesses, or expenses passed along to consumers. Even when a new program is presented as free, taxpayers should ask who is footing the bill. At what point do we stop asking how much more government can do and start asking how much more government should do? Our money is not an unlimited resource. Neither is our willingness to surrender control over how we live.
Freedom is not chaos
Let’s return to the claim that freedom is chaotic. Freedom does not mean a society without laws. It does not mean that people can violate the rights of others without consequences. A constitutional republic establishes boundaries precisely so that one person’s liberty does not become another person’s oppression.
The Constitution exists, in part, to limit government power and protect individual rights. Those limits matter most when it would be easier for officials to ignore them. A free society will have disagreement. People will make different choices, hold different beliefs, and pursue different priorities. That is not necessarily chaos. It is the reality of a society in which people are free. The alternative is not always order. Sometimes it is simply greater control. And once government acquires a new power, we should never assume it will willingly give that power back.
The choice before Connecticut
This election is about more than party labels. It is about the kind of state we want to leave our children and grandchildren. Do we want a Connecticut where government respects individual liberty, parental responsibility, and private property? Or do we want one where each new problem becomes an excuse for another mandate, another regulation, and another demand on the taxpayer? We should judge every proposed law by the same standard, regardless of which party introduces it. Does it protect our rights? Is it necessary? Is it constitutional? Is it affordable? Does it solve a genuine problem without unnecessarily restricting the freedom of others? And most importantly, does it leave citizens with more responsibility for their own lives, or less?
Freedom requires participation. It requires citizens who pay attention, ask questions, read the bills, and hold elected officials accountable. Do not wait until a decision affects your home, your wallet, your vehicle, or your children before you get involved. Learn what your legislators are proposing. Ask them to explain their votes. Support candidates who respect the limits of government. And make your voice heard at the ballot box.
Because the real question is not whether freedom can be messy. The real question is this: How much freedom are we willing to surrender in the name of compliance—and what happens when we finally decide we have given away too much?
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