Our Four Freedoms!

Freedom of Speech; Freedom of Worship; Freedom from Want; Freedom from Fear.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt enumerated these freedoms so that World War II Americans could feel secure and free. They became the slogans for an America forced into war by the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941 and the sighting of Nazi Uboats off the east coast.

It awakened a nation lulled asleep in the aftermath of World War I. The idea of being attacked by another nation whose desire was to destroy us brought fear and intrepidation among the country's citizens.

On this Fourth of July, 2009 all of us should reflect on what we've been given. Our early founders pledged their lives, fortunes and families in order to establish a nation of independent and free citizens. They paid for our escape from British rule with their time, talent and treasure.

Are we willing to do the same today? So many of us have accepted the fact that only big government can provide, protect and promote the well-being of it's citizens is frightening. The acceptance of state authority is often brought on by fatigue and despair. Liberty is not valued as much when people feel threatened. The pitfalls of our type of government is its lack of accountability. Without accountability  democracy can easily become a tyranny.

Congress has allowed itself to accept its yearly cost-of-living raise of nearly $4,400 per member, per year. Their 2009 salary now stands at $174,000 per year. They are the only group in the country who can give raises to itself as they watch other Americans forced to tighten their belts. Congress demands transparency from others but they refuse to let us know how much each Congressman spends on his/her offices. One rumer, and it's only a rumor, had them increasing their allotment for office expenses to $1.5 per member, per year. No Freedom From Want for these folks!

Our celebration of independence and freedom should extend beyond just one weekend a year. We have to watch our governments, at all stages, to keep them honest the way the founding fathers intended them to be.