Happy Birthday To America

One of the few things Americans can agree on these days–conservatives or liberals, Republicans or Democrats, Trump supporters or Trump resisters–is that our government is highly dysfunctional. Whether you believe we need to drain the swamp or turn the rascals out, you may well be sick of Washington, D.C., and all that it has become.

But the government is not America. As bad as things can get among our leaders, our country keeps plugging along. A free society is not totally dependent on government. Our customs, our history, our ideals, our land, and our people define our nation.

Yes, we need to fix our government and maybe that is starting to happen. But we also need to make sure it doesn’t get too big and too effective, less it encroach upon its citizens’ independence. So happy Independence Day!

Our government was born on June 21, 1788, when the Constitution was ratified. But the United States of America began on July 4, 1776. That’s a distinction worth keeping in mind. So happy birthday, America!