Fourth of July by Cindy Cross

Here we are, on the most important holiday in America—the fourth of July, marking our independence from oppressive England. Would our founding fathers be proud of how far we’ve come as a nation?

They would first look at our technology and be dumbfounded. Imagine a mind like Thomas Jefferson or Benjamin Franklin seeing massive metal objects transporting hundreds of people from one side of the planet to the other? The advances in technology would be mind boggling to the best minds in America from the 18th century.

What would they think about America being involved in so many world conflicts? It may go fifty-fifty with some agreeing with America’s expansionist ideals. With Iraq and Afghanistan, we’re there more as security than conquest. Perhaps they would be disappointed in our willingness to leave once the conflict is over rather than taking some bounty as departing gifts.

The current state of our economy would bring disdain and perhaps even disgust. We have grown so greedy and complacent in our financial affairs. The gold standard is long gone, and the debt ceiling is nearly breached.

We have progressed in our treatment of every citizen, regardless of color. Our current president, being African American would make all of our fore fathers very proud indeed.

Although scandals always occur, I don’t imagine them at the scale, magnitude and frequency as they do now. Larry Craig, the senator from Idaho who picked up men in the airport bathroom, and senator Weiner from New York who sent sexually explicit pictures to various women. There are too many other scandals involving prominent politicians, and I think the founding fathers would be disgusted.

Whether you are a Jeffersonian or Hamiltonian, we are all allowed to have our individual beliefs on what would be best--big government or small government. That is the true beauty of our system—we all agree that we can disagree, but can we do it with more respect?

Let’s make current and future generations proud of the men and women who call themselves the leaders of our country.