Today we celebrate our Independence Day. It’s been 245 years

Today we celebrate our Independence Day.

It’s been 245 years since our brave founding fathers freed America from tyranny.

While our government has grown and changed over those 245 years, the American people remain the same.

As Thomas Jefferson said, "The purpose of government is to enable the people of the nation to live in safety and happiness.  Government exists for the interest of the governed, not the governors."

Today's politicians never understood that.

While we should absolutely celebrate our independence today, we all need to reflect on what that means.

America is not our government.  It's you.  It's me.  America is the unseen bond that we share as we work each day to better our lives.

Don't allow the negativity of political events to jade your love for our nation.

I encourage you to read the Declaration of Independence today. You can find it here. I hope this last line stands out for you:

"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."

That last line represents the beauty of the American people.  Regardless of the actions of our own government, a foreign threat, or the media that constantly tries to divide us . . . our lives remain interwoven and continually moving in the direction of prosperity.

In that closing sentence of the Declaration of Independence is a pledge that remains unbroken today despite great efforts to permanently divide us along lines of geography, race, and wealth.

George Washington reminds us, "Be Americans.  Let there be no sectionalism, no north, south, east or west.  You are all dependent on one another and should be one in Union.  In one word, be a nation.  Be Americans, and be true to yourself."

So today, enjoy your family.  Enjoy the barbeque and fireworks.  And enjoy being Americans.

Happy Independence Day! 

— Laura Loomer