On July 4 1776, 56 citizens representing the 13 British colonies officially gave birth to the United States of America.
By affixing their names to a statement that the King of England was abusing the colonies and violating basic principles of human decency, they declared themselves free from the rule of Great Britain.
On this July 4th holiday, take a few minutes to read the eloquent and brave words of our founding fathers.
Yes, one key component of the U.S. fight for freedom was the right to have some say in how we are taxed. That continues to be a battle — political, philosophical and exonomic — we wage today.
But a key difference now is that we do have representation with regard to our taxes. We may not always agree with what our Representatives and Senators are doing with our money, but don't confuse that difference of opinion with no voice in the matter as some modern-day "tea party" demagogues incorrectly assert.
So make your voice heard, on taxation and all issues of critical import to our nation. Tell those in Congress what you want and expect.
And vote! That's why John Hancock and his colleagues singed that momentous piece of parchment 233 years ago.
