My Country Tis of Thee

I love America, I always have. I truly believe that this is the greatest country on earth. Some may think that arrogant and I say...let them. I love this land and I would invite everybody to feel the same way about their country as I feel about mine. Sure, we have problems, but I think America is great. I'm not talking about the politicians in Washington but America, the people and the culture. I am tired of people feeling that we need to be apologetic for who we are.

I was watching a firework show tonight with my family in Midway Utah when I began to sing the wonderful song 'My Country Tis of Thee', I went on to explain to my daughter, Grace, why we celebrate the 4th of July. I think she understood it to some small degree in her 5 year old mind. But it made me think more about why we celebrate it and while I was watching those beautiful fireworks in the sky my minds eye was seeing our founding fathers and their struggles and joys. I am so thankful to them for what they established for us. As I leaning up against my car staring in the sky I was moved almost to tears when thinking about the jubilation they must have felt when they declared their independence and claimed right to the liberties and freedoms they so desperately wanted. Man is meant to be free to choose and if deprived of that right he should fight for those freedoms he is entitled to. I can imagine the celebrations that must have taken place when the people of America finally could decide what was right for them and there was no monarch they served, for they were free and served themselves.

These were hard working individualists that understood the value of independence. I fear that our government is too involved in citizens lives and we are letting them. We are loosing precious liberties and squandering away the divine inheritance we received, for I believe our founding fathers were inspired of God to do what they did. Little by little, we are becoming more dependent upon government to save us from everything we do, that was not why it was established and that is not what it should be doing. I reread the Constitution recently and the Bill of Rights and it's upsetting to read the role our founding fathers envisioned government and to contrast that to what government has become. I am really afraid for the future of our country; not because of recession or energy crisis but because the role the government is taking in our lives and the welfare state we are moving to.

God bless America, the land that I love. America was founded by hard working individuals who believed in God and worshiped him wholly. They formed a government to ensure freedom from tyranny and give international protection, they didn't form it to babysit us and spoon feed us. We bail out anybody or any company (large company) that is in trouble. This is not the way it should be. Certain risks are assumed and we should be allowed to fall flat on our face at times. I love America but I want it back!