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Happy Independence Day!

By Theresa Fritz Camoriano

As we celebrate Independence Day with fireworks, picnics, and time with family and friends, let’s pause for a moment to remember what independence really is – and why our forefathers risked their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to obtain that independence for us.  We might begin by re-reading the Declaration of Independence, to understand what Thomas Jefferson and the other Patriots were thinking at the time.  The Declaration proclaims that each of us has unalienable Rights, given to us by our Creator, including the right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, and that the purpose of government is to secure those rights.  What does this really mean?

Since we all have the same unalienable Rights, the government is supposed to treat every one of us with respect, not favoring one person over another or plundering one of us to give to another.  Government should respect our right to live, worship, and work as we choose and should protect our right to keep, buy, sell, and otherwise control our own property as long as we are not interfering with the same rights of others. 

Thus, if we really were free and independent people, we would be free to hire any doctors or other health advisors to help us determine what is best for us and then to follow their advice, or not, as we choose.  Instead, government controls our health care and tells us what we can eat and drink

If we were free, parents would be able to use the money they earn to educate their own children as they think best.  Instead, government mandates a one-size-fits-all government-run education system, which frequently undermines the authority and values of the parents who are forced to support it.   

If we were truly free and independent, we would be able to make any work arrangements we choose and to keep the fruits of our labor.  Instead, we are at least half-slave, with the work environment highly regulated and a large portion of our earnings confiscated by the government to support its voracious appetite.

If we were free, we would be able to chip in for advertisements in newspapers, radio, and television to promote our ideas and our political candidates without restriction.  Instead, campaign finance laws are so restrictive and complex that anyone who dares to promote his ideas through the media or dares to run for office risks prosecution.  If you don’t believe it, just ask Richard Lewis.

If we were a free and independent people, we would have a stable rule of law designed to protect our private property against plunder.  Instead, our laws are numerous and constantly changing, which means we are all unintentionally breaking some law, and the government plunders our property with impunity!

While this picture certainly is bleak, and while we know from the examples of history that continuing our current trend will lead to tyranny and misery, we also know that the first step to solving a problem is to recognize it.  If most Americans begin to understand how much freedom they have lost, then they can begin to demand its return.  Those who want to control our lives and our property will not give up without a struggle, but the struggle will be well worth the price.  For those of you who are in Kentucky, one of the best things you can do to promote a return of your freedom is to financially support the Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions, a free market think tank working to return freedom to Kentuckians.  Regardless of where you are, you can join the “Take Back” movement (contact Norm Davis for more information), and you can educate yourself so you can explain to your families, friends, neighbors, and legislators why freedom is so important and what they can do to reclaim our birthright of freedom and independence.

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