4th of July
Mario Estrada
The celebration of our nation’s Independence occurs on the 4th of July annually and is a time of reflection for me. Our nation has survived for 200 years and it’s not without it’s ups or downs. We’ve weathered three and now a fourth recession and are as divided as ever. There are haves, have not’s, righties, lefties, socialists, capitalists and none of them seem to be adult enough to handle being in the presence of one another. However today, we are ALL Americans.
Out country faced a civil war where brother took up arms against brother and neighbor fought neighbor and in time those wounds healed(somewhat). After that famous skirmish, our country was supposed to be unified, and even the grammar use following the Civil War was changed to reflect the unification. The United States ARE a conglomeration of states standing together versus the United States IS a collection of individual states represented by a larger federal authority. Today we use the adverb (?) “are” instead of “is” when describing the states, and when a person asks where they are from, they don’t say, “I’m Californian (Georgian, Floridian, New Mexican, etc.),” we say, “I’m American.”
Being American isn’t the only way to be, and as you can see, it hasn’t always been so. With all the talk about what the federal government can/can’t do lately, it seems we should in a way regress back to a smaller localized government where money flows within the community, and not to a larger entity to be disbursed “evenly” among all states. In retrospect, maybe it’s not a perfect idea, but some programmes really DO need smaller localized funding as opposed to large national ones where the money is snapped up by bureaucrats before reaching it’s final destination.
Many people today see the 4th of July as an excuse to not work, spend the time with their families and friends, and in some cases imbibe in spirits until we speak Drunkenese. However you choose to commemorate the holiday, it is important to remember that we ARE one country and just like a marriage, it requires both opposing parties to find common ground. When both sides are unyielding like the strong California oak, their unwillingness to bend will cause ruptures in their base when the winds of change blow. By being malleable and moveable like the Carolina Palms, we can weather the storms an still stand strong after the dust settles. This country was founded in opposition and so was our constitution. Our father’s argued in a HOT, SWELTERING (non air-conditioned) building for days discussing everything from slaves to state rights and they probably NEVER 100% agreed with one another; but they got the job done.
Tomorrow is the 5th and it’s time to get to work. Yes, it’s like a Monday all over, but the following day is Friday and the weekend is almost here. Let get what we need done and remember that today, tomorrow, everyday, we’re ALL Americans.
