I am so excited that Tatyana Merryman will be speaking at Rockwood Church July 12, 2009! You won't want to miss this one!!!
"Why I Vote"
by Tatyana Merryman
Nov 2000
From the Dave Ramsey Show
I was born in Russia and lived twenty-four years of my life there. Though it is a country with beautiful nature and abundant natural resources, it is also a country where you never experience true liberty. Why, because only where the government fears the people, you have liberty. In Russia the people feared the government and it led to tyranny. To understand what I just said, you have to know and understand communist ideology that is so prevailing in Russian government and the minds of the Russian people. Throughout my life, I was taught that I had to give up my rights for the sake of the "common good", and people did give up their rights, while at the same time they lost "free choice". Russia ended up in a police state with control of the government in every area of the individual's life. With loss of free choice, privacy of one's life was destroyed and without it there was no freedom.
How did all this affect me and my family? Here are a few examples. Since government controlled education, I was taught in school that there was no God. I grew up an atheist. Since all land belongs to the government, my parents could only live in an apartment the government rented us. We had to wait many years to get it. Living with other families in the meantime. The size of the house or apartment was determined by the government. Even if we saved enough money to build a house, it would still be on government owned land and subject to be taken at any time. There were no rights of inheritance. It did not matter how hard my parents worked, they would be paid only what the government determined was necessary to live on. Income tax was so heavy that we were not allowed to know how much was taken from our paychecks. Because Russia had a central banking system, the government could take all your savings or change the value of the Ruble overnight causing you to lose it. Also, the health care system was controlled. People do not have a choice of doctors and there was and still is a shortage of medicine. Frequently, we heard politicians bragging about our so-called "free-of-charge" health care, but we knew that it was a myth. If someone wanted to get what we considered adequate medical attention, a bribe to doctor was necessary. Since government owned and controlled communications, we did not know the truth about the real condition of our country or the world. Only the news that was approved by the government and supported communist ideology appeared on TV or in the newspapers. Since government controlled transportation, we could not go anywhere or at anytime we wished. Since government owned/controlled all factories and agriculture, there was no choice in clothing or food. We wore clothes that was approved by the government and ate food that was allowed to be grown on collective farms and slept on beds that were made according to government specifications. No wonder that people all looked alike, wore the same clothes and lived in apartments that all look the same!
You might ask, "Why didn't people stand up against the system?" Some did, but they were considered the enemies of communist socialism and according the Russian Constitution, you were not allowed to do such a thing. Nobody should even think about criticizing the system. Rebels were put in prison, sometimes with their whole family or if they were really lucky, forced out of the country. All the property of the rebels and their family would be confiscated. Bearing of arms was strictly against the law in order that the government would have total control of over the citizens.
You may again ask, "Who is the government in Russia?" The answer is not the citizens, but a group of tyrants who appointed themselves to be the leaders after the Revolution in 1917. The Constitution was written in such a way that only the communist party was allowed. During an election, there was only one person to vote for who was appointed by the Communist Party. If you show complete loyalty to the system and meet the criteria for becoming a Communist, you may have a chance to get a position in the government office and be accepted into the "elite". Government made more and more laws to control the citizens by taking more and more rights away. Some of the rights were turned into privileges for certain groups of "elite" people. However, the "elite' never had to obey the laws that it made. Hospitals, housing, pension plans, and grocery stores for the "elite" were much nicer than for the ordinary people. The "elite" drove nice cars and had special vacations. All that was paid for by the people who were prohibited from enjoying it.
When I was in high school, I started to doubt the justice of communism. Neither my parents nor teachers could answer my questions. The government censored all books in the library so I could not find the answers there either. Through the Voice of America radio program, which was sometimes not scrambled by the government, I heard the truth about my country. First, I did not believe it thinking, as I had been taught, that it was capitalist propaganda. But later, accepting more and more, I understood that there might be some truth to what I heard. I decided to learn English, hoping that it would help me to read different kinds of books that were smuggled into Russia from abroad. Therefore, I hoped somehow to get a job that required knowledge of English so that I could travel to another country one day on a business trip. Of course, I would have to become part of the "elite" for such a thing to happen.
But God had a different plan! One day I heard the truth about Jesus Christ at a youth meeting, where I had come only to meet my friend who was helping me with English. That night I met my true friend, Jesus. Finally, many of my questions about life were beginning to be answered. A year later, I married an American and moved here to the United States. I was fearful of transition, but God sustained me through His Spirit, friends and family. One thing that I quickly learned about America was that I had to make choices all the time. It was a tearful experience to select a toothbrush at Wal Mart. Never before was I constantly faced with making constant decisions. In Russia, I was told what to do.
In America, I have the freedom to choose. In the beginning, I was frustrated, but soon I fell in love with this great country. In 1998 I was eligible for citizenship and I applied. Preparing for the test, I read the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. It opened my eyes about why America is such a great country. The foundation of our government teaches that our rights come from God! And "We the People" are the government. I knew right away that as a citizen of America, I am not only to enjoy the rights but to also exercise the responsibilities of self-government. I have to vote! I have to elect righteous people to represent me in the government!
We can no longer have a government of the people, by the people, for the people, when the people no longer care or are willing to govern themselves and no longer demand high standards of their leaders and government. Also, I learned that the root of the term 'politics" is a Greek word meaning "what citizens do". Therefore, politics means citizenship, and citizenship means participation! We have to vote for godly people who will uphold the Constitution and who will limit government to its proper role. Politicians who promise the most will need a bigger government to fulfill all the promises and one day we may have total government. I do not want to have the system of socialist government as I had in Russia. As long as I am alive, I will participate in the electoral process and I encourage you to do the same. We cannot abandon our God given rights. Founding Father Benjamin Rush knew the importance of the people's involvement in government. He said, "Every citizen of the republic, must watch for the State as if its liberties depend upon on his vigilance alone." If you stay at home every election thinking that politics is dirty, maybe you are the one who allows it to happen. You let crooks to get elected. English Statesman, Edmund Burke said, "The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." Get registered to vote! Get informed about candidates that are running for office! Study the Constitution and Declaration of Independence! Pray and go to vote every election! Stay informed about issues and bills! Notify your representatives of your opinions and wishes! My friend told me one day, "your vote is your voice, speak up!"
"Why I Vote"
by Tatyana Merryman
Nov 2000
From the Dave Ramsey Show
I was born in Russia and lived twenty-four years of my life there. Though it is a country with beautiful nature and abundant natural resources, it is also a country where you never experience true liberty. Why, because only where the government fears the people, you have liberty. In Russia the people feared the government and it led to tyranny. To understand what I just said, you have to know and understand communist ideology that is so prevailing in Russian government and the minds of the Russian people. Throughout my life, I was taught that I had to give up my rights for the sake of the "common good", and people did give up their rights, while at the same time they lost "free choice". Russia ended up in a police state with control of the government in every area of the individual's life. With loss of free choice, privacy of one's life was destroyed and without it there was no freedom.
How did all this affect me and my family? Here are a few examples. Since government controlled education, I was taught in school that there was no God. I grew up an atheist. Since all land belongs to the government, my parents could only live in an apartment the government rented us. We had to wait many years to get it. Living with other families in the meantime. The size of the house or apartment was determined by the government. Even if we saved enough money to build a house, it would still be on government owned land and subject to be taken at any time. There were no rights of inheritance. It did not matter how hard my parents worked, they would be paid only what the government determined was necessary to live on. Income tax was so heavy that we were not allowed to know how much was taken from our paychecks. Because Russia had a central banking system, the government could take all your savings or change the value of the Ruble overnight causing you to lose it. Also, the health care system was controlled. People do not have a choice of doctors and there was and still is a shortage of medicine. Frequently, we heard politicians bragging about our so-called "free-of-charge" health care, but we knew that it was a myth. If someone wanted to get what we considered adequate medical attention, a bribe to doctor was necessary. Since government owned and controlled communications, we did not know the truth about the real condition of our country or the world. Only the news that was approved by the government and supported communist ideology appeared on TV or in the newspapers. Since government controlled transportation, we could not go anywhere or at anytime we wished. Since government owned/controlled all factories and agriculture, there was no choice in clothing or food. We wore clothes that was approved by the government and ate food that was allowed to be grown on collective farms and slept on beds that were made according to government specifications. No wonder that people all looked alike, wore the same clothes and lived in apartments that all look the same!
You might ask, "Why didn't people stand up against the system?" Some did, but they were considered the enemies of communist socialism and according the Russian Constitution, you were not allowed to do such a thing. Nobody should even think about criticizing the system. Rebels were put in prison, sometimes with their whole family or if they were really lucky, forced out of the country. All the property of the rebels and their family would be confiscated. Bearing of arms was strictly against the law in order that the government would have total control of over the citizens.
You may again ask, "Who is the government in Russia?" The answer is not the citizens, but a group of tyrants who appointed themselves to be the leaders after the Revolution in 1917. The Constitution was written in such a way that only the communist party was allowed. During an election, there was only one person to vote for who was appointed by the Communist Party. If you show complete loyalty to the system and meet the criteria for becoming a Communist, you may have a chance to get a position in the government office and be accepted into the "elite". Government made more and more laws to control the citizens by taking more and more rights away. Some of the rights were turned into privileges for certain groups of "elite" people. However, the "elite' never had to obey the laws that it made. Hospitals, housing, pension plans, and grocery stores for the "elite" were much nicer than for the ordinary people. The "elite" drove nice cars and had special vacations. All that was paid for by the people who were prohibited from enjoying it.
When I was in high school, I started to doubt the justice of communism. Neither my parents nor teachers could answer my questions. The government censored all books in the library so I could not find the answers there either. Through the Voice of America radio program, which was sometimes not scrambled by the government, I heard the truth about my country. First, I did not believe it thinking, as I had been taught, that it was capitalist propaganda. But later, accepting more and more, I understood that there might be some truth to what I heard. I decided to learn English, hoping that it would help me to read different kinds of books that were smuggled into Russia from abroad. Therefore, I hoped somehow to get a job that required knowledge of English so that I could travel to another country one day on a business trip. Of course, I would have to become part of the "elite" for such a thing to happen.
But God had a different plan! One day I heard the truth about Jesus Christ at a youth meeting, where I had come only to meet my friend who was helping me with English. That night I met my true friend, Jesus. Finally, many of my questions about life were beginning to be answered. A year later, I married an American and moved here to the United States. I was fearful of transition, but God sustained me through His Spirit, friends and family. One thing that I quickly learned about America was that I had to make choices all the time. It was a tearful experience to select a toothbrush at Wal Mart. Never before was I constantly faced with making constant decisions. In Russia, I was told what to do.
In America, I have the freedom to choose. In the beginning, I was frustrated, but soon I fell in love with this great country. In 1998 I was eligible for citizenship and I applied. Preparing for the test, I read the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. It opened my eyes about why America is such a great country. The foundation of our government teaches that our rights come from God! And "We the People" are the government. I knew right away that as a citizen of America, I am not only to enjoy the rights but to also exercise the responsibilities of self-government. I have to vote! I have to elect righteous people to represent me in the government!
We can no longer have a government of the people, by the people, for the people, when the people no longer care or are willing to govern themselves and no longer demand high standards of their leaders and government. Also, I learned that the root of the term 'politics" is a Greek word meaning "what citizens do". Therefore, politics means citizenship, and citizenship means participation! We have to vote for godly people who will uphold the Constitution and who will limit government to its proper role. Politicians who promise the most will need a bigger government to fulfill all the promises and one day we may have total government. I do not want to have the system of socialist government as I had in Russia. As long as I am alive, I will participate in the electoral process and I encourage you to do the same. We cannot abandon our God given rights. Founding Father Benjamin Rush knew the importance of the people's involvement in government. He said, "Every citizen of the republic, must watch for the State as if its liberties depend upon on his vigilance alone." If you stay at home every election thinking that politics is dirty, maybe you are the one who allows it to happen. You let crooks to get elected. English Statesman, Edmund Burke said, "The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." Get registered to vote! Get informed about candidates that are running for office! Study the Constitution and Declaration of Independence! Pray and go to vote every election! Stay informed about issues and bills! Notify your representatives of your opinions and wishes! My friend told me one day, "your vote is your voice, speak up!"
