New national bird to replace Bald Eagle?
As we prepare to celebrate yet another Fourth of July, I cannot help but feel a bit melancholy as I review and contemplate the Declaration of Independence, and think about the birth of this “great experiment”, known as America. Have we reached the end of the line, as far as our belief in and adherence to the principles upon which this Nation was founded? When reading the beautiful and eloquent words as created and agreed to by the Founding Fathers, how can you not feel a sense of distance and unfamiliarity when comparing them against the realities we see today.
Consider what is unquestionably the most famous part of the Declaration:
“We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness…”
Are there any “self evident truths” and “unalienable rights” here in the new Age of Obama, or are these things just merely quaint, outdated ideas from a bygone era? Do these words somehow mean the “Creator” gives a woman the right to “terminate” pregnancies? As she exercises “choice,” what about the unborn child’s right to “life?” President Obama has famously declared that that he wouldn’t want his young daughters “punished” with a pregnancy. So much for the unalienable right to life for his grandchildren– Such a fine example set by our “dear leader.” What part of the Fourth does he honor?
In our supposed enlightened age, how many Americans even acknowledge some sort of “Creator,” anyway? While many claim to believe, they willingly turn a blind eye as the rights given us by the Creator are systematically stripped away—even to the point of a knowing chuckle or two at those who suggest that much of what our present government does is immoral. “What old-fashioned notions,” they say. “Don’t be so melodramatic.” One must conclude that if they actually believed in a God as a giver of rights to begin with, they would be more vehement in the defense of such. Think about that—why would a person go to the mat for something he or she doesn’t believe in?
Does “pursuing Happiness” give a person the right to the fruits of the labor of others? I suppose one could be happy with getting an extra “slice of the pie” that somebody else has paid for. But what if you happen to be the person that actually earned the “pie?” How happy will you be at the prospect of watching more and more of your just due taken and distributed to others? Is this not what’s happening on a grand scale all around America today? No matter where you look– whether it’s the federal, state, county, or local government—it’s all the same: all are poised to take an even greater share of the fruits of our labors through taxation. They say money can’t buy happiness, but it sure does help. No matter what consists of “happiness” for a person in 2009, the fact is, it’s going to cost more.
In 1776, the Colonists cherished the notion of a Nation of freedom-loving people chasing liberty and all of its blessings. Why, they even pledged their “Lives, Fortunes,” and their “sacred Honor” to that end. Put plainly- they were willing to risk everything, including their very lives, in order to break free of a tyrannical form of government.
In dissolving the ties of government with Great Britain in the Declaration, the signers listed as the reason
“a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations,” intended “to reduce them under absolute Despotism…”
They further point out that because of these “Abuses and Usurpations,” it is
“their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such government…”
What were some of these abuses considered so onerous that our Founding Fathers chose to risk life and property to eliminate? From the Declaration, here are just two:
“For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent…” and because the King “has erected a Multitude of new Offices, and sent swarms of Officers to harass our People, and eat out their Substance.”
Do you feel that the New Hampshire Supreme Court’s ordering of the NH House to to fund a so-called “adequate education” borders on “taxation without representation?” Do you believe that when a majority of our elected lawmakers pass a bill that dictates draconian changes and excessive new energy taxes that they admittedly haven’t read is anything BUT “taxation without representation?” Do you believe that the constant addition of more rules and regulations to control every aspect of our lives by an ever-growing government could be considered harassment? And what of the multitude of new “czars” assigned to oversee all aspects of American actions and life?
What would happen if one or more of the great signers of the Declaration of Independence were to somehow show up in our present day? Would any of us be able to look them in the eyes without shame for what we have done with the legacy they left to us? Happy Fourth. It used to mean something special, before we wrecked it…
