"Speak Out" is an expression of opinion from the Editorial Board of WBTV, and is presented by General Manager, Nick Simonette.
This weekend our nation pauses to celebrate the 4th of July, a day set apart to commemorate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.
John Adams believed it to be (quote) "a day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty."
But Americans today inhabit a country that would be completely unrecognizable to its founders.
Adams and the nation's settlers looked to God with prayerful concerns.
Today, more and more Americans turn to Uncle Sam when faced with hard times.
As a result, the government's dominance in our lives through taxes, regulation and surveillance has exploded like fireworks.
The health care legislation recently rammed through Congress is only the tip of the iceberg.
At 2,400 pages of dense legalese, the government now effectively controls some of life's most intimate, personal and important decisions:
Who will receive medical care?…when?…where?…and for how long?
This is just one example. Ask yourself this holiday weekend "What else remains beyond the state's reach?"
Not wages, working conditions, or money.
Not banking, transportation, communication, or education.
Not insurance, smoking, drinking…not even hunting or fishing.
And so we verge ever closer to a condition in which everything is either required or prohibited.
So, do we still live in the land of the free? And do we really care?
Not if you judge by the dismal turnout at the last election.
If you truly value freedom, voting is the only way your voice will be heard.
Don't sit idly by as our country loses the birthright on which it was founded.
Tell us what YOU think. SpeakOut@wbtv.com.
