"Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness".?

"Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" is the very thing that America has forgotten. George Washington uttered those very words upon the foundation of America. Let us never forget that dream.

To enlighten the uneducated is always a task, but becomes more challenging when the uneducated picks the winning answer, but so be it. Life, liberty and pursuit of happiness is not an amendment and the phrase itself is not in the Constitution of the United States. The phrase comes from the Declaration of Independence and has no legal standing in the United States. It, the phrase, carries moral force, as a statement most Americans believe in, and was stated as being an universal moral statement that applies to all of humanity.

The implication of your second question seems to suggest that America has some world plan and that it's at odds with the moral implication of the phrase. Since you provide no details to this

imaginary plan one can not actually address your point except to point out the vague incoherence of America's foreign policy suggests more a lack of a plan. To degree America has done more than

any other nation to live up to its founding credo by destroying two regimes based on opposite premises: the Nazi regime and the Soviet regime, one by active warfare and another by containment.

First, it is not an Amendment, it is part of the Declaration of Independence. It is right before we list the crimes of King George III against his colonies.

Second, America wanted to be left alone but Europe could never keep its act together. Centuries of European fighting and the Crusades led by Europeans are the reason we are all in this mess now.

Third, isn't it clear that America has absolutely no plan. How about you all come up with a plan to fix the mess you started 1000 years ago and we all fix it together?

EDIT: Siva Eye - Not George Washington and not uttered. Written by Thomas Jefferson.

The idea that everyone ha an absolute right to "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" is one that sounds great - until you THINK about it. A right to "Life" - even if you utterly misuse it to the detriment of others ? To "Liberty" - to do whatever you like, again to the detriment of others ?

To the "Pursuit of Happiness" - if your idea of "Happiness" brings harm and misery to others ?

Every "Right" HAS to carry with it a corresponding "Duty" - in these cases, to live a good life, "preferring others", as Paul of Tarsus puts it; to use of your liberty in a way which does not infringe upon the liberty of others; and to pursue happiness within reasonable bounds, and towards a happiness which does not interfere with the happiness of others. Fail in any of these Duties, and you lose the corresponding Right.

Which is why the American Constitution's reference to "Inalienable Rights" is quite wrong - ALL "Rights" are "alienable" if the appropriate Duty is not performed.

It is the balance of Rights and Duties which alone makes a "Good Society" possible.

They either never meant it, or never understood it. Liberty and the free pursuit of happiness are not compatible when there is a band of thugs placing pointless rules upon you, then watching and waiting to attack you when you break the pointless rule. This is the role of governments.

Governments work always by violence, or threat of violence. What liberty is there under such a constant threat? Especially when they don't entrust you with the freedom of doing things without being watched.

And who else would seek power over others, except for the arrogant, who are naturally inclined to use force for their own means.

Anarchy is needed for liberty.

God bless.

When Thomas Jefferson wrote this, he was paraphrasing another philosopher named John Locke. In both cases, they conceived of these as inalienable rights of man. That is, applying to absolutely everyone in the world at any time. It is a founding ideal of the United States that often gets forgotten because it's not explicitly codified in law.

As to whether it interferes with America's world plans? Well, that's highly subjective. I know a lot of soldiers who thought that their actions in Iraqi were protecting and ensuring the rights of life and liberty of Iraqi citizens. I also hear many Iraqi's who think otherwise. The ultimate problem with the phrase is that it is so highly dependent on one's individual point of view.

Are you tired of the same old problems in the world, and nobody is doing anything about it? Well, step up for change, we as the human race need to unite to fix the world's problems. If you want to be the change YOU want to see in the world, follow on twitter.com @LonelyProtester

Peace be with you are all of humanity.