Bah humbug, not hurrah, for the Fourth of July

1776: The most important thing that the people can demand from their government is freedom.
2014: The most important thing that the people can demand from their government is free stuff.

How have the mighty fallen! Generations since have squandered what the Revolution gave us. Washington, Madison, Jefferson and the rest gave us the gift of freedom. We have little left to show for it.

I don't suppose I should feel too responsible.  The fall of America was in progress before my parents were born. The die was cast in 1913. That was the year we lost the Constitution's built-protection against unlimited taxing and spending. You can read about that here.

1913 was a bad year in other ways. It saw the passage of the 17th Amendment, changing for the worse the way we choose our senators. They were no longer accountable to the state legislatures because they were no longer beholden to them for their jobs. All congressional power was consolidated in Washington, D.C.  1913 also saw the creation of the Federal Reserve.

After all that, we never had a chance. 1913 was the tipping point. It will be one of those years historians remember for watershed events. It was when we gained the tools to take up in real earnest the policy of bribing ourselves with our own money.