On this day in 1776, American patriots revolted against the British government because they were sick and tired of being forced to pay an enormous amount of money in taxes to a tyrannical government, while having no say in how the money was spent, and receiving no benefits from it—does that sound familiar?!
Every year, we celebrate our “freedom” by remembering the day the founding fathers established the United States as an independent nation—and while we are waving American flags, drinking too much beer and watching fireworks with our families, do we ever take a moment to think about the fact that we aren’t actually free?
The basic principles the Founding Fathers fought against in their battle for independence are now overwhelmingly present in the United States Federal government. Every aspect of your life is taxed in some way, shape or form, and the money that is being taken from you is not being used to benefit you or your family.
Instead, your tax dollars are funding illegal wars in foreign countries, where the United States drops a bomb every 12 minutes, and the civilian death toll is increasing at an alarming rate.
Your tax dollars are being used to spy on your through warrantless surveillance programs, and they are funding an increasing police state where officers shoot and kill innocent Americans regularly, and they face no accountability whatsoever.
Your tax dollars are also fueling a decades-long “War on Drugs” that has increased violence on the streets, and turned average citizens into criminals for using medicinal plants.
In fact, the only people who are actually benefitting from the taxes you pay are the corrupt government officials and greedy politicians who also don’t seem to face any accountability, no matter what they do, and guess who pays their salary—you do.
On this Independence Day, take a break from mindlessly waving your American flag, and start a conversation about what “freedom” really means. Because, as Benjamin Franklin once said, “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” And that is something everyone should be talking about.
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