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A Reason to Celebrate this Fourth of July

Horn of Gabriel

By Horn of Gabriel
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Horn of Gabriel

Horn of Gabriel 1,590

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We celebrate the Fourth of July because that's the day the Declaration of Independence was signed, 242 years ago. You might call July 4 America's birthday.

The Declaration didn't just declare our independence from Britain; it vowed to create a government that respected all people's rights to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

It said nothing about patriotism. Or making America "great."

America became great because the Declaration (and the Constitution that followed) set down rules that kept government small and out of the way. That let creative individuals flourish.

When the Declaration was signed, the founders didn't know what America would look like. They knew, though, that they were sick of being bossed around by the British king, so they worried about government having too much power.

Thomas Jefferson and his colleagues wrote the Declaration to assert that our "natural rights" could not be taken away by any government, and to set the stage for the creation of a government through which people could rule themselves.

At the time, America was considered a backwater. Just a few years later, America had become the most prosperous, and probably the freest, country in the world.

The Fourth of July is not about barbecues, fireworks, or even patriotism. It's about that idea: that people have the right to rule themselves.

Ironically, government has grown so much since the founding that you might not even be able to buy fireworks where you live. In much of America they are now illegal because government officials have declared them to be too dangerous.

Yet the Declaration and Constitution weren't written to make government provide for public safety. The founders assumed that was something adults would do for themselves. The founding documents are about freedom—about limiting what government can do.

"Trust no man with too much government power," wrote Jefferson. "(B)ind them with the chains of the Constitution."

It's good that the Declaration and Constitution have those "chains." No matter how insistent the state's busybodies get, they may not arbitrarily search our homes or jail us. We have a right to bear arms, to practice whatever religions we choose, to exercise free speech and more.

Growing government has eroded some of our freedoms, but we still have more freedoms than most countries in the world.

Consider the country we declared independence from, Great Britain. Authorities there recently locked up a man merely because he made a Facebook live video outside a courthouse. He wanted to draw attention to child abusers on trial, but Britain's government puts limits on what reporters may cover. England has no First Amendment.

Some people who write critical things on Facebook or Twitter get visits from police.

Great Britain also has no Second Amendment, and has far more restrictions on guns than we have. That hasn't stopped crime. London had more murders than New York City this spring.

Now London's mayor wants "knife control." Really.

One British police department even bragged about its "weapon sweep" that confiscated "scissors and pliers." But don't worry, tweeted the Regents Police Agency, they were "safely disposed and taken off the streets."

I'm glad I live in America, where I can carry pliers around. And speak freely.

Of course, the Constitution has more limits on government power than just the ones stated in the Bill of Rights.

The Constitution divided government in ways meant to limit authoritarian politicians from any party.

President Donald Trump's own Supreme Court nominee rebuked the man who appointed him, ruling that a Trump-advocated law making it easier to deport some immigrants was too vague.

The Court stopped President Obama almost a hundred times.

It's a good thing we have both the Declaration and the Constitution, with their curbs on power-grabs by presidents and legislators—curbs on judges, too.

Unfortunately, those limits on government haven't exactly kept government small. Thomas Jefferson wanted "a wise and frugal government" that leaves people "free to regulate their own pursuits." Now we've got 180,000 pages of federal rules and $21 trillion in debt.

Still, the Constitution and the Declaration have helped keep us mostly free. That's something to celebrate this Fourth of July.

http://reason.com/archives/2018/07/04/a-reason-to-celebrate-this-fourth-of-jul/print

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EMAWesome

EMAWesome 101

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If David Dennison hasn't blown off his typing hands with an M-80 by now you can expect an op-ed from him in this thread proclaiming how the founding fathers got it all wrong and how everyone always needs more government in their lives.

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Pancho

Pancho 44,455

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40 minutes ago, Horn of Gabriel said:

The Declaration didn't just declare our independence from Britain; it vowed to create a government that respected all people's rights to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

 

All people? 

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Horn Under a Bad Sign

Horn Under a Bad Sign 20,342

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58 minutes ago, EMAWesome said:

If David Dennison hasn't blown off his typing hands with an M-80 by now you can expect an op-ed from him in this thread proclaiming how the founding fathers got it all wrong and how everyone always needs more government in their lives.

 

Doubtful. I don't think he's a Republican, and they are the ones who keep giving us more government.

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staboner

staboner 4,957

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happy 4th surlists

its a hard one with both the clown in office and the populace who willingly accept burning down our values for a 'win'  

we wouldn't have the Declaration of Independence if there weren't devils walking among us making the great men act. 

be safe out there

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Anastasis

Anastasis 23,393

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25 minutes ago, staboner said:

happy 4th surlists

its a hard one with both the clown in office and the populace who willingly accept burning down our values for a 'win'  

we wouldn't have the Declaration of Independence if there weren't devils walking among us making the great men act. 

 be safe out there

I was betting on a "happy no nuke 4th of July" when I saw the last poster avatar, but that will do.  Cheers. 

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staboner

staboner 4,957

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5 minutes ago, Anastasis said:

 

I was betting on a "happy no nuke 4th of July" when I saw the last poster avatar, but that will do.  Cheers. 

but hey, they were great men (without nukes)

cheers bud. be safe out there today. 

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David Dennison

David Dennison 18,652

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2 hours ago, EMAWesome said:

If David Dennison hasn't blown off his typing hands with an M-80 by now you can expect an op-ed from him in this thread proclaiming how the founding fathers got it all wrong and how everyone always needs more government in their lives.

When it comes spending, the only difference between Republicans and Democrats is appropriation of funds. 

Republicans spend just as much as Democrats. At least Democrats attempt to increase revenue to cover the expenses. Republicans just increase the deficit.

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SideSlip

SideSlip 35

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15 minutes ago, David Dennison said:

When it comes spending, the only difference between Republicans and Democrats is appropriation of funds. 

Republicans spend just as much as Democrats. At least Democrats attempt to increase revenue to cover the expenses. Republicans just increase the deficit.

Ah yes.  Fiscal responsibility.  A cornerstone of the Democratic Party.

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Guest Lobo

Guest Lobo

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The three most important words to Democrats:

The State.  The State.  The State.  

just not our nation-state.  

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Brisketexan

Brisketexan 104,560

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Meh. I'm smoking a brisket for later, and for today, we're grilling burgers and dogs, slicing up some watermelon.  Having friends over -- their condition was "but we're not gonna get all patriotic, are we?"  Naah, not this 4th.  It's kinda like celebrating your birthday while you're in the middle of a cycle of chemo -- you're generally pleased that you're not dead at the moment, but you feel like  shit, and you're mostly looking forward to the next birthday when you won't be sick as a dog.

And today, that's good enough.  Cold beer, good burgers, and fuck England.

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