Independence 101

“[W]henever 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 . . . But when a long train of abuses and usurpations . . . evinces a design to reduce [the people] under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.” (Emphasis supplied).

This is the part of Declaration of Independence that many politicians, especially those leaning towards authoritarianism and communism, tend to ignore. They forget that the American Way is to replace governments that do not serve the people. 249 years later, our biggest problem is that the voters in this country have somehow become so ignorant that they do not recognize despotism in politicians.

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Here are some interesting facts about our quest for independence:

When the British troops were fired upon as they marched to Lexington and Concord, they were on their way to recover a massive amount of ammunition that was stolen from their army’s battery. I am not judging. In time of war, the theft would be a good strategic move. I think we need to recognize, however, that our fight for independence was not a single fight. It had been going on for years prior to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Battle of Lexington and Concord was the result of previous skirmishes and it occurred 15 months prior to signing the Declaration of Independence.

Massachusetts was the colony that had suffered the worst of the British brutality yet only five people from Massachusetts signed the Declaration of Independence, led by John Hancock (more on him below). Nine of the signatories came from Pennsylvania, including Ben Franklin. Signing the document cost Franklin more than anybody. By signing it, he created a dispute with his son that was so vicious the two men never spoke again.

Only two of the future presidents of the United States signed the document: Thomas Jefferson, who also was the primary author of the document, and John Adams.

The leader of the New Hampshire delegation was not a lawyer but an Irish medical doctor: Matthew Thornton. Interestingly, although never attending law school or practicing law, Thorton also later served on the New Hampshire Supreme Court.

John Hancock was the most famous signatory because, after the congress concluded they would all be hanged if caught by the British, he said he would sign the document so large that “Fat George could read it without his glasses.” Of course, he was referring to King George, the king of England.

Fifteen years earlier, however, Hancock would have fit into my definition of “trust-fund liberal.” He was arguably the wealthiest man in Massachusetts, through inheritance more than his own hard work. He was a devout British citizen and even spent time in Britain establishing close ties with the merchants in that land. He claimed to be interested in improving society, but rarely participated in charity.

Hancock’s position changed in the 1760s when Britain heavily taxed molasses and sugar to pay for its incredible debt caused by foreign wars, especially the French and Indian War in the American colonies. Much of that debt was incurred by paying a company owned by Hancock’s uncle, (which he would later inherit) for supplying the British army. It was not until his company suffered from British taxes and he faced possible incarceration in an English prison for smuggling that Hancock became a revolutionary.

Oh, he also owned slaves. Funny, I don’t see today’s Massachusetts liberals tearing down the John Hancock building.

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The same philosophy behind our Declaration of Independence was behind the Southern States states about 90 years later when they decided to secede from the Union. Contrary to popular belief, the Civil War did not start over slavery. In fact, slavery was not even part of the discussion. The Civil War started because the southern states were heavily taxed to pay for the federal government, while the northern states paid very little.

Many of the taxes actually violated the United States Constitution. For example, Article I, Section 8, states, “[A]ll Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States. . .” Congress side-stepped this requirement by mandating that southern cotton to be exported only through Virginia, Pennsylvania, or Massachusetts, where such exports were heavily “taxed” by charging a transportation fee. They simply ignored Section 9’s prohibitions:

“No Tax or Duty shall be laid on Articles exported from any State.”

And

“No Preference shall be given by any Regulation of Commerce or Revenue to the Ports of one State over those of another.”

Maybe we should go back to teaching real history in school so that we don’t continue to repeat it.

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Would you want to belong to a government that favors another member at your expense? Well, you do right now. The budget Governor DeSantis signed into law on Monday totals about $117 billion. About $40 billion of that money comes from federal subsidies.

By contrast, New York’s current budget of $254 Billion includes about $122 billion in federal subsidies. Yes, New York spends 217% more than Florida. For those of you who learned mathematics in one of the communist states, that is more than double. If Florida received the same amount of federal money as New York, we would not need a single tax in this state and have about $5 billion left over. We could give that money away at random and make 5,000 Floridians millionaires, EVERY YEAR.

Florida also balances its budget and for the second year in a row has reduced spending from the previous year. New York, on the other hand, is running a deficit every year and has increased its spending for at least 40 years in a row. This year‘s budget provides the highest amount of government spending in New York history.

Do you think this is going to improve when New York starts having city- or state-owned grocery stores?

If Florida ends up being the only free state left, so many people will move here that, according to Georgia’s moronic congressional representative Hank Johnson, Florida will tip over into the ocean.

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I apologize to my fellow Floridians. I am sorry we are going to have a soggy Fourth of July. I should have realized that would happen as soon as I put some water in the swimming pool yesterday.

[Do not worry. I will get to this week’s events in another article. ]

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