Sen. Chuck Wiger: Celebrate Your Independence

Opinion column by Charles "Chuck" Wiger

Every July 4, citizens all across Minnesota and the country celebrate our Independence Day. It is the day we stood up for liberty and asserted ourselves to be a free nation. 

As you celebrate our nation’s birthday, remember the words of the Declaration of Independence:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

—Declaration of Independence, 1776

While the writing style may be outdated, the meaning of the words is not. It is important we understand their significance today and celebrate our freedom as if the words were written today.

Once a year we have an opportunity to remember the struggles of our founding fathers and reflect on the values upon which America was founded more than 200 years ago.

Yet today we don’t need to look very hard today to find examples of heroic individuals representing the best of America. In Arizona, the 19 firefighters who died battling wild fires exemplify the same courage and willingness to sacrifice for others that was evident in 1776.

And after a decade of war, we have hundreds of thousands of veterans who have risked their lives to defend the freedom written about in the Declaration of Independence. These men and women carry the same burden on their shoulders as did soldiers during the Revolutionary War—our liberty.

George Washington said, “The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government are justly considered… deeply, …finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.”

While watching fireworks and enjoying time with friends and family it is important to remember the sacrifices made more than two centuries ago and the sacrifices still being made today. The Fourth of July is a joyful time, but also a time to remember the costs paid to become and maintain the great country we are.

You can learn more about the history of the Declaration of Independence and its importance online.

As always, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns you have. I can be reached via email at sen.chuck.wiger@senate.mn or by phone at 651-296-6820. You can also find me on Facebook.

Thank you and happy Independence Day.