How things used to be:
               

Concord Bridge, 1775

How things are now:

The United States, 2014

Supreme Court upholds nationalized health care.
– News report

To go beyond that…is to make mere breathing in and out the basis for federal prescription and to extend federal power to virtually all human activity.
– Dissent of Justices Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, Alito on ObamaCare

[Nationalized health care]… changes the relationship of the Federal Government to the individual in a very fundamental way.
– Justice Anthony Kennedy, who voted to overturn ObamaCare

[The elderly will receive pacemakers] …if we’ve got experts…advising doctors across the board that it will save money.
– Barack Obama

IRS intimidated and suppressed conservative groups before 2012 election, but claims to have lost all relevant e-mails.
– News report

Candidate Mitt Romney declared, “If they want more stuff from government, tell them to go vote for the other guy – more free stuff. But don’t forget, nothing is really free.” They did want more free stuff. They did vote for the other guy.
– News report

California voters approve Prop. 8, defining marriage as between one man and one woman. But when a judge overturns it, the Supreme Court tells the voters they have no right to go to court to restore the law they enacted.
– News report

“Independence” has come to mean independence from the people to whom one is related, but dependence on the state.
– Anthony Daniels, physician and author

A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.
− Edward R. Murrow, iconic radio and TV journalist

In order to observe a holiday celebrating our independence, we need to recall what the word means. Do we?
Some parts of America, especially its liberal half, have been described as infantile. Many people regard the federal government as their parent. They expect it to provide for the needs of their young children, their elderly parents, and sometimes themselves. In these respects, many Americans − and most Western Europeans − act like children.
Children recognize that they need their parents to protect them, provide for them, and make important decisions for them. But then they become teenagers. Many Americans resemble teenagers. They depend on their “parent,” the government, to protect and provide for them – but they resent their dependence:
They want to spend their money on cars, clothes, electronic toys, and entertainment – but they want “mom” to provide health care.
They want their own house or apartment – but they want “dad” to help with the payments.
They want to be safe – but they resent rules and look down on our police and military.
They insist on being treated as adults, but they do silly and sometimes dangerous things – then expect real adults to clean up the mess they made.
They want to drive without seatbelts while talking on cell phones or texting. But if they have a crash, they sue the other driver and the car maker – while lawyers profit from their irresponsible behavior.
They want to drive wherever they please – then blame others for traffic jams and air pollution.
They want to be safe on the streets, but they hobble police with unrealistic restrictions – then complain about violent crime.
They want to be safe in their homes, but they push laws to disarm law-abiding citizens – then complain about home invasions.
They want to be safe from foreign threats, but they oppose appropriations for new weapons, better training, or adequate pay for our troops – then grumble when the troops don’t perform difficult, dangerous duty with absolute perfection.
They want to be safe from terrorism, but they oppose searching for terrorists as “profiling” and oppose security measures as “shredding the Constitution.”
They want terrorists defeated – but without casualties. They point to the deaths of our troops in Afghanistan and want us to abandon that country. There have been 34 U.S. deaths thus far this year in Afghanistan. Granted, that is 34 too many. But 264 people – almost eight times more – were murdered in Los Angeles County during the same time. Should we abandon our own large cities?
They want relationships without commitment, sex without consequences, and fun without strings attached – then whine about feeling lonely.
They want to plunge into careers – then whimper about lack of family or friends when they hit forty.
They want to spend their money on anything but health insurance – then weep and wail about lack of coverage.
They want to eat and drink to excess and exercise little – then moan and groan about health care when they get sick.
They want to spend their time watching TV sitcoms – then complain when politicians pick their pockets.
They want more government benefits – then are shocked when the deficit balloons to colossal proportions.
They want the government to make important decisions for them – then complain that things aren’t going their way.
They want unelected judges with lifetime jobs to decide vital issues – then gripe that no one consulted them.
They want to attend church rarely if ever – then criticize mercilessly when the church runs into trouble.
They want to give little to charity – then claim to be kindhearted because they vote Democratic.
They want to bask in the phony warmth of pacifism and nonviolence – then expect others to defend them from fanatics who want to behead them.
They want to “love all humanity” – then belittle their own country.
They want to be “multicultural” − then ridicule their own culture.
They want to be “citizens of the world,” which requires nothing but breathing. Being an American citizen, on the other hand, requires supporting our country, and if necessary fighting for it.
They want to excuse their own failure to serve in the military by belittling the service of those who risk their lives for us.
They want to eat hot dogs and watch fireworks on July Fourth − but dislike parades because they are “too patriotic.”
They want to “support our troops” – then express contempt for the troops and for what the troops are doing. That’s support?
They want to “love America” – then make excuses for its enemies. That’s love?
They want to be off work on Independence Day – then insist that we must pass a “global test” and can’t act without permission of the “international community.” That’s independence?
They “see the viewpoint” of those who brought down the Twin Towers. Really? If my mind worked like that of a mass murderer, I wouldn’t boast about it.
They block drilling for oil and gas, mining coal, or building nuclear power plants, leaving us dependent on Middle East oil. But when oil prices soar, they blame oil companies. Intentionally or not, they are enriching the oil sheiks and impoverishing Americans.
They confuse feeling good with doing good. They “visualize world peace,” then do nothing to achieve it. They condemn terrorism, then do everything they can to obstruct those who fight terrorists.
They can’t believe there are people bent on world domination and killing “infidels.” In effect, they say, “Who could want to kill me?”
They want adults to do the difficult, dangerous work. But they are the adults.
They want freedom without the risk and pain of fighting for it.
They want security without the trouble and expense of providing it.
They want justice without the difficulty of making moral judgments.
They want to be independent while piling up enormous debt in the hands of foreigners who do not wish us well.
They want to live on money borrowed from our children and grandchildren – then claim to be “pro-child.”
They ignore “honor killings” and female genital mutilation – then claim to be “pro-woman.”
They do nothing about more than 200 schoolgirls in Nigeria being kidnapped and sold into slavery (that is, nothing but post a pathetic Tweet) – then accuse Republicans of waging a “war on women.”
They want blessings without being grateful.
They want more “free stuff” from the government – and vote accordingly.
They want “free health care for all” – but they also want open borders. So who are “all”? All the tens of millions who will come for free health care? Milton Friedman observed, “It’s just obvious you can’t have free immigration and a welfare state.” But it’s not obvious to “progressives.” They imagine it; therefore, it must be so.
They want to be free – then have government bureaucrats make life-and-death health-care decisions for them and their loved ones. The massive contradiction escapes them.
They want to choose their own doctor – then have the government pay. They never heard the proverb, “He who pays the piper calls the tune.” But if the government pays, the tune may be, “So Long, It’s Been Good To Know You.”
They want ObamaCare to be Medicare for everyone. They never imagined that it would be Veterans Affairs health care for everyone.
They want to be free without being responsible. How’s that working out?
Eating hot dogs and watching fireworks are pleasant pastimes. But if we really want to observe Independence Day, we might try to be a bit less dependent. “Independence” was meant to describe our nation. But more deeply, it was meant to describe our people.
How things should be:

U.S. Constitution © 1787, all rights reserved.

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