The Government We Deserve

[Thomas Hospod]

Independence is at the root of what it means to be an American. It is an abstraction that is woven into the fiber of every American soul, and thus the striving for American independence has continued long past
1776. It is a value that every American searches for and attempts to fulfill
each and every day of his or her life. Americans are constantly in pursuit of
this abstract gift, which we call Independence.

The holiday which we celebrate on the 4^th of July is not only a day to memorialize our struggle for Independence, but it is a day we honor that value of Independence which has emanated from the American spirit
since that first shot was heard around the world from Concord. I believe firmly
in Jefferson’s idea that “A government big enough to supply you with everything
you need, is a government big enough to take away everything you have”,
including one’s Independence. In 1776 we declared our Independence from a
government that revoked all of our freedoms. The beauty of the democracy that
we won through winning that war for Independence is that now, whenever
government attempts to remove our freedoms, we can repeatedly declare our
Independence through our voice and through our vote.

The Declaration of Independence, which lays the foundation for the principle of Independence for which we search in our daily lives, reads, “Whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it
is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new
Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers
in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and
Happiness.” The key here is “the Right of the People…to abolish”. This is not
to say that every time the government oversteps its bounds, the People should
take up arms and rise up. Rather, it is saying that when a government, such as
the current one, takes away the independence of men, women, and families to
earn a living for themselves in the private sector and to make their own
decisions about their own private lives, we have the blessings of Independence
and democracy that allow us, if we use them correctly, to keep that government
in check. Today, many members of Congress and the President are attempting to
take away our Independence by taxing and taking away our power to provide for
ourselves, by taking over private businesses, by controlling the health insurance
we are provided, among other means of power and dominance over the lives of the
common American. Alexis de Tocqueville once said, “In democracy, the people get
the government they deserve”. In 1776, we fought for and declared our
independence on a large scale from an abusive government. It is in our blood as
Americans to continue to declare it on a small scale, because only through
doing so can we get that government we deserve, which exists to serve us to the
end of living independently.

-Tom Hospod

Burlington, MA