I am writing to urge readers of this paper not to let another Fourth of July slide by in a haze of beer-and-bratwurst, color and noise. We need to remember that July 4 is really about the signing of the Declaration of Independence, that remarkable proclamation of our shared ideals: liberty, justice, equality and government by “We the People.” The declaration, and later, the Constitution, gave responsibility for turning those ideals into realities to every subsequent generation.
Yet today, too many Americans have abandoned that responsibility. We let the folks with the big money — tied to special interests — decide how our country is run.
It doesn’t have to be that way. We can fix our broken system. The organization Move to Amend is pushing for a constitutional amendment to end corporate personhood and weaken corporations’ influence in our politics. Another group, Root Strikers, is finding ways to combat the cynicism and corruption so prevalent in Washington. If these groups don’t seem like your cup of tea, find a different one that focuses on breaking the connection between money and power.
Thomas Jefferson said, “The boisterous sea of liberty is never without a wave.” As 2013’s Fourth of July nears, it is once again time we make some waves — first by working hard to overcome our differences and find common ground, and then by choosing causes to work toward together, causes that move Americans closer to living in the nation the founders imagined so brilliantly and fought so bravely to give us.
Keith F. Voos
North Brunswick