235 years ago today our Country declared independence from the British Empire. What a journey since then. There’s much too much to cover in our nations history but it’s a testament to what man can do with freedom if you think about all we have accomplished and become. I think the biggest thing to take away from today is our freedom for this is what our forefathers fought and died for. For most of our 235 years we have had the most freedom of all societies in the World. Government was here to support the people and protect the freedom we all enjoy. Recently however it seems the tide has turned. It now seems that government wants to regulate or control more and more areas of our daily lives that were once our choice. We once had the freedom to decide on our own what to eat, where to live, and more. Now the government decides everything from how much sugar or salt can be in certain foods to how parents can discipline their children to what kind of dog you can own. The intrusions into our daily lives are so numerous that we hardly notice them anymore or worse just take it for granted that they’re good for us. My main gripe here is the freedom we’ve lost in our system of free enterprise or business. What made us a great Country was the innovation and freedom to create and build new products and businesses without government intervention. Today we have so may rules and regulations that we are stifling the creativity and growth that we now need more than ever. What needs to happen is for the government to just get out of the way and let Americans do what Americans do. This is the only way for us to dig our way out of the mess we’re all in. Unfortunately it seems our current government is trying to regulate us more and more each day rather than remove some of the restrictions and road blocks holding us back. Now I understand some laws need to be in place to protect us all but why is there a law is California saying ” you are not permitted to wear cowboy boots unless you already own at least two cows”, Â or another in New York saying “during a concert, it is illegal to eat peanuts and walk backwards on the sidewalks”. Now granted these are funny extreme examples of our legislature over reaching into peoples lives but you get the point. I could go on and on but until about 20 or 30 years ago we were free to do pretty much whatever we wanted as long as we didn’t harm someone else, then the government stepped in and decided to regulate every little thing that came to mind. In closing, everyone needs to understand that we need to reverse this trend and let people be people. Everything seemed to work out just fine for us for about 200 years, so why did we change it? Government should exist to serve the people, not the other way around. If we don’t stop this trend, those funny laws won’t be so funny anymore when the government comes up with a law that really changes your life. How about only driving or grocery shopping only on certain days depending on your last name, or only getting to shower on specific days, or the government deciding that if you’re above a certain age, you can no longer get the medications you need to live because your too old and there’s no enough to go around. Something to think about as the last example is almost here now. Wonder what my grandparents would think of all the intrusions and limits on their lives today. I’m sure they’d be shocked. In closing, I’m not anti-goverment, just anti big government.
Ok, I’ll stop now and get onto the day, yesterday we got in some exercise in the morning and then had a couple of party’s to hit in the afternoon. The kids had another lemonade stand and then went to the pool for 3 hours. The misses and I went up north to put in an appearance at one of my friends who had been bbq’ing ribs and chickens in a large smoker/bbq since 9am. He uses applewood for the fire and cooks totally with indirect heat. Although we couldn’t stay for more than an hour, he wrapped up a rack of ribs for us for the road. They sure were good. When we got home we walked across the street to make a quick stop in at the neighbors party. Now there were only about 8 people there and most of those were family. I’m not sure who they invited but I think they were expecting a lot more people. You see the woman isn’t the most likable, (we think she’s bipolar) so I’m sure between those in the neighborhood she has alienated and those who don’t like her is the reasons for the poor showing. Anyhow we left after about 20 minutes and headed home.
Today we need to be at the pool by noon for a donut eating contest along with lots of other games throughout the day. First we’re going up to Red Rocks for some outdoor exercise. We’re headed up to Grandma’s around 5pm and need to make a relish tray and apple pie before then. The boys are excited as they have a bunch of fireworks to shoot off. It’s going to be another hot day with thunderstorms in the afternoon. Mojo will probably spend the night inside again which is kind of a drag as he got me up at 3:15 this morning to let him out.
Well time to go because we need to get moving and it’s almost 9am. Hope you all have a great day and whatever you do, please don’t take your freedom for granted, because if you do, someday it will be gone!
God Bless America,