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Declaration Of Independence

February 10, 2012 by · Comments Off on Declaration Of Independence 

Declaration Of Independence, In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson called the pursuit of happiness an unalienable right. This was a radical idea. For most of history, most people didn’t think much about pursuing happiness. They were too busy just trying to survive.

Then came the liberal revolution based on the idea of individual freedom. Only then did they start thinking that happiness might be possible on earth.

Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, the right to pursue happiness has been perverted into a government-backed entitlement to happiness.

British Prime Minister David Cameron says, “There’s more to life than money. … It’s time we focus not just on GDP, but GWB — general well-being.”

Well-being sounds good. But is that something that government programs promote?

Philip Booth, an economist with London’s Institute of Economic Affairs and editor of “… And the Pursuit of Happiness,” says no. I spoke recently with Booth and economist Christopher Coyne of George Mason University, who contributed to that volume.

Since the country of Bhutan got all kinds of publicity by using a measure it calls “gross national happiness” instead of gross national product, and The New York Times says it’s a “new measure of well-being from a happy little kingdom,” I asked them if there is anything to it.

“It’s not a model that most Western societies would want to copy,” Booth said.

I didn’t think so. In Bhutan, people can get locked up for criticizing the government. Yet one study ranked the United States 23rd in the list of happy places. Bhutan was higher on the list.

That’s nonsense, said Coyne. It makes more sense to judge a country’s ability to make its citizens happy by whether foreigners want to move there. Clearly, more people want to move to America than to Bhutan. “The way to think about this,” Coyne said, “is the fact that so many people want to come to the United States indicates that they at least perceive there is the opportunity to pursue what makes them happy.”

Poor Richard’s Almanac

February 10, 2012 by · Comments Off on Poor Richard’s Almanac 

Poor Richard’s Almanac, Poor Richard’s Almanack (sometimes Almanac) was a yearly almanac published by Benjamin Franklin, who adopted the pseudonym of “Poor Richard” or “Richard Saunders” for this purpose. The publication appeared continually from 1732 to 1758. It was a best seller for a pamphlet published in the American colonies; print runs reached 10,000 per year.

Franklin, the American inventor, statesman, and publisher, achieved success with Poor Richard’s Almanack. Almanacks were very popular books in colonial America, with people in the colonies using them for the mixture of seasonal weather forecasts, practical household hints, puzzles, and other amusements they offered. Poor Richard’s Almanack was popular for all of these reasons, and also for its extensive use of wordplay, with many examples derived from the work surviving in the contemporary American vernacular.

Independence Day

July 4, 2011 by · Comments Off on Independence Day 

Independence DayIndependence Day, When we gather with family and friends this weekend’s 235th Independence Day to enjoy barbecues, parades and fireworks, it is important to take time to reflect on the freedom that is uniquely ours, like the Americans, the God we truly exceptional country has blessed, and our responsibility to safeguard and better for future generations.

United States faces some critical challenges. Even the freedom that is uniquely ours as Americans is at stake.

We have an economy that more Americans are unemployed than at any time since the Great Depression. We face high gas prices. Our total debt is now equal to the size of our economy. The external debt only threatens to consume our entire gross domestic product – what our economy produces in a given year – in 2021, leaving us completely in debt to foreign creditors, the largest of which is China.

The debt crisis facing us makes our freedom and future of our children and grandchildren much more uncertain than any generation since they pledged their lives, fortune and sacred honor in the Declaration of Independence.

Americans have never refused to great challenges. We fight for freedom and liberty against the most powerful empire the world has ever known, and won.

We settled into a nation stretches 3,000 miles coast to coast, and a man on the moon three decades before we could conceive of iPhones and laptops.

We have overcome great obstacles and made our share of mistakes.

Although not perfect, our country is perhaps the best vehicle ever designed to elevate the status of all men.

As Americans, we believe that our rights are natural – that come from our creator. Just as much, we believe that our rights come not from any man or any government. As such, it cannot depend, or be changed or removed by any government, political or ideological.

This is what our founders held for us. This is what God gave man. This is what our country was the first success in practice.

The Declaration of Independence was inspired by these fundamental beliefs that make us exceptional and unique in world history.

These beliefs gave rise to our Constitution – one of the most revolutionary documents of human history. This difficult to change the chart paper was the first time that the most successful ideas for self-government of people gathered all at once, in the same place.

Each of us has been given a special gift and my responsibility. We are citizens of what our best president, and Hoosier, Abraham Lincoln said, “was the last best hope of earth.”

Facing the challenges we face is the responsibility of our generation.

We must act now, make tough decisions and make the sacrifices necessary to revive our economy and the return of the government of our country to a sustainable fiscal path.

At a time when our country has strayed from our core principles, which would be well served to return to those principles as the search for solutions and guidance to face difficult decisions ahead.

President Ronald Reagan once said that Americans, if we are not careful, if not actively working to monitor and control the growth of our federal government and protect our freedom, we will spend our sunset years telling our children’s children what was to be an American.

Bottom line – as a parent of a child of 3 years old, Teddy, and a son, 1 year old, Ryan, is a conversation I refuse to have my children.

Independence Day is a great opportunity to talk with their children, family, friends, coworkers and neighbors. What better time to start a dialogue on outstanding country in which we live and the responsibility we have for a better and pass it on to future generations?

The representative Todd Rokita is Indiana’s fourth congressional district Indiana and former Secretary of State from 2002 to 2010.

How Old is America

July 4, 2010 by · Comments Off on How Old is America 

How Old is AmericaHow Old is America — MeriNews —  July 4, commemorate the taking on of the Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776 by populace of the United States. The Declaration of Independence of the United States is that July 4 is collected of five parts: introduction, preamble, the body, which can be divided into two sections and a conclusion.

A signed copy of the statement, which is usually regarded as the Declaration of Independence, is exposed to the National Archives in Washington, DC the text of the Declaration was approved on July 4.

On the celebration of July 4, 2010, many people try to get the answer of how old is America? America is 233 years and it has 234 July 4, 2010. The United States of America is a constitutional federal republic comprising fifty states and one federal district.

Many states have made great Independence Day quotes. Benjamin Franklin said: “Those who want to give up liberty to gain security will not, nor do they deserve, either one.” Abraham Lincon said – “Democracy is government by the people the people, for the people. ”

People from all parts of the United States are the greetings on the 234th birth of America Happy 4th of July 2010. People celebrate 4th of July anniversary as America’s Independence Day with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, events, etc.

Declaration of Independence Text

July 4, 2010 by · Comments Off on Declaration of Independence Text 

Declaration of Independence TextDeclaration of Independence Text — worldcorrespondents — Everyone makes mistakes, and I mean everyone … even Thomas Jefferson.

The Library of Congress has shown for the first time last Friday that Thomas Jefferson “misspoke” when he was drafting the Declaration of Independence of monarchical rule in England.

Preservation of scientists working for the Library of Congress has discovered that in earlier versions of the Declaration, Thomas Jefferson used the word “subjects” to refer to the American people.

To the credit of Jefferson, he recovered quickly from the pole, crossed out the word humiliation and replace by the more politically correct “citizens”, which he used extensively in the final draft of the Declaration.

Just a little info for the Independence Day this year more meaningful and memorable.

Happy 4th of July!

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