Happy Independence Day, America! 2026

Happy Independence Day, America! 2026

Note: This is my annual salute to our wonderful country.

Two hundred and fifty years. That is two and a half centuries of standing as the world’s greatest and most successful demonstration of the power of individualism, freedom, limited government, private property, and initiative. Thank you, England, for showing the Founding Fathers exactly what  governments should not do. And thanks to the Founding Fathers themselves, whose brilliance gave us the Declaration of Independence and, even more remarkably, the Constitution of the United States. Faced with the deep divide between the abolitionists of the north and the slaveholders of the south, they wrote a document that could unite a fledgling country while still laying the groundwork for the day when all would truly be equal in the eyes of the law. It is hard to imagine today’s politicians producing anything close to it; few possess the writing skill, the rhetorical skill, the intellect, or the moral seriousness our founders brought to the task.

Ever wonder why we celebrate July 4, 1776 as the country’s birthday? Why not January 14, 1784, the date the Continental Congress ratified the Treaty of Paris and the United States began its formal existence as a sovereign nation? July 4, 1776 was the day the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, a statement that the colonies no longer existed and a new, independent nation had been born. That is why I call July 4th Independence Day and January 14th the country’s birthday. Disagree? I’m used to being in the minority.

I love this country. But every time I visit my parents’ and my brother’s graves in Atlanta, I’m struck by how few American flags fly in the neighborhoods I pass through. I notice the same thing visiting my daughter in northern Virginia, even though many of her neighbors depend on government paychecks for their livelihood. In my own neighborhood in Knoxville, flags are everywhere. I fly one at the entrance to my driveway and another at my boat dock. Why the difference? Is it because those other neighborhoods lean democratic, and somewhere along the way “democrat” got equated with “less patriotic”? Pardon me if I think that’s nonsense. Patriotism and love of country shouldn’t belong to one side. Where else in the world do you find this richness of expression paired with this abundance of wealth for ordinary citizens? It reminds me of the migrant making the long, hard journey to the southern border who, when asked why, said he wanted to live in a country where even the poor people were fat.

I’ve certainly disagreed at times with the people entrusted to lead this country. There have been moments when I believed the federal government, or a state government, individually or collectively, got it wrong. I’ve done my small part to voice that displeasure and push for change. But I have never stopped loving this country. The same can’t be said for those on the extremes, especially on the left, who denigrate the country and want to fundamentally remake it. They want the Constitution rewritten or abolished. They want to abolish the Electoral College. They call their opponents names, boycott their products, hold demonstrations that are billed as peaceful but often turn violent, shout down speakers they disagree with, teach division in our public schools and universities, and push for changes that would ironically curtail their own freedom of speech and expression. Are they too shortsighted to see that? Apparently so. Yet figures like Bernie Sanders and AOC wouldn’t have the prominent voices they do if not for the very freedoms this country protects. I welcome that diversity of opinion and don’t want it silenced, even though some of its loudest voices would happily silence people like me.

The most notable shift over the past year has been the growing electoral strength of the radical left. Socialism has always had a role, however small, in American politics. Eugene Debs helped found what became the democratic socialist movement and ran for president five times, along with a run for Congress. He founded the American Railway Union and led a wildcat strike of 250,000 workers that landed him in jail, though he was never elected to office. The first socialist elected to Congress may have been Wisconsin’s Victor Berger, who won a House seat in 1910. Reelected in 1919, he was denied his seat after being convicted under the Espionage Act of 1917 for his anti-war views. The Supreme Court later overturned the conviction, and Berger went on to serve three more terms.

Today, the political descendants of Debs and Berger are far more numerous and appear to be on the rise. Sanders, AOC, and Elizabeth Warren look almost moderate next to a newer wave of candidates who won primaries in safely democratic districts and are headed to the House next term. Add to that mayors like Mamdani in New York and Wilson in Seattle. Some worry this trend threatens the country’s foundations, and it might. So far, though, these candidates have only unseated fellow democrats in solidly democratic areas. The real test comes if and when socialists start winning in republican districts. History’s lesson, that socialism erodes freedom, tends toward the rule of despots, and produces economic misery, seems lost on a generation that either doesn’t know that history or refuses to believe it. The evidence is plain to anyone willing to look: compare East Germany to West Germany, North Korea to South Korea, or Russian and Chinese per capita income to America’s. None of it seems to shake socialism’s most devoted believers. Still, most Americans aren’t fooled and it remains to be seen whether this infatuation fades into just another minor faction in American politics.

In a way, the World Cup coming to America may open some eyes among our jaded youth. Isn’t it better to live in a country the rest of the world gawks with envy? Wouldn’t you rather be the gawkee than be the gawker?

This is a unique place, a wonderful place, and I’m glad to be here. I’m glad for my heritage, and I count myself fortunate to share in the wonders of this beautiful country. 

I love you, America. Happy Independence Day.