America was settled by adventurous, hard work people willing to leave home and venture out with the hope and dream of success, prosperity and a better life in a new land.
Monday we celebrated the Declaration of Independence which was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. The document states the residents of the 13 colonies were no longer subject and subordinate to the monarch of England, King George the III, and were now united, free and independent states. The Continental Congress voted to approve our independence on July 2 and adopted the Declaration of Independence two days later.
Benjamin Franklin is reported to have said, “Aye, I know there shall be no nation on earth that works harder than the great and powerful United States, and so I dare say that the celebration of July 4th should be a day on which none shall work and instead all will refrain from exerting themselves in any way.”
(I refrained writing this notebook entry until after my co-workers had gone home Monday night. Had they read it while at work on Monday they may have asked why they had to work on July 4, when wise Mr. Franklin had said no one should work on July 4th. If they bring the question up after this notebook is published, I’ll ask them why they sometimes engage in personal work on Sunday, a day God has decreed as a day of rest. Hopefully because they worked on Monday the paper will be delivered on time this week.)
When John Hancock signed the Declaration of Independence, he did so in a conspicuous manner, and rose from his seat, pointed to his signature and said, “There, John Bull can read my name without spectacles.”
Freedom must be daily earned and refreshed, else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die.
Our freedom was won by a generation who determined to do whatever was necessary for our freedom. They had to fight. Our earliest generation determined whatever it took was worth it to separate from the authoritarian rule of England.
There was no free lunch in 1776 and there is no free lunch in 2022. I don’t care whether the money comes from our state capitols or our national capitol, our politicians do not distribute free money. Govenment does not produce a product that earns money. As citizens of the United States, we must take responsiblity for ourselves and stop depending upon government handouts.
Freedom is never easy. In 1776 most Americans were willing to sacrifice everything to pursue freedom of worship, to develop their ideas, businesses and personal interests. It took years for Americans to begin to experience some prosperity and most never did. Our earliest generation sacrificed, worked and battled diseases with little to no medical care. They had no financial or social security. There were no government handouts, bail outs or insurance companies covering their losses. Early Americans were on their own and helped each other as best they could.
The recent supply chain problems show how foolish it is to depend upon other countries. For months now this newspaper’s commercial printing department has been struggling with supply shortages. For example it is taking about three months to get an envelope order filled and we can’t place a second order until the first one is filled. We are told this is because all of the glue used to make envelopes comes from another country. An order we placed for file folders in 2021 has yet to be filled.
Reader Comments(0)