What would Ben think?

On this day, so many years ago, 56 members of the Continental Congress took a stand. On July 4, 1776, they adopted the Declaration of Independence, declaring the thirteen American colonies independent from Great Britain.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, that to secure these rights governments are instituted among men.”

Men like John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock, and Ben Franklin took enormous risk signing the Declaration. If captured by the British, they surely would have been hanged.

They were flawed men. They had their faults. I don’t want to make them larger than life. They were men of their times.

But, they stood for what was right.

How will you stand?

I find that with everything that’s happening in the news, the Declaration of Independence takes on even more importance. The words remind me that the hourglass changes but we still have our own moments of consequence.

Do we rise up and stand for what’s right? Or when the spotlight comes to us, do we shrink in the moment? Congress let us know where they stand. Unfortunately, the spotlight proved to be too much for them. The House voted yesterday to approve President Donald Trump’s policy agenda bill. The bill has far reaching affects:

• Many people at the lowest end of the income ladder will be worse off with historic cuts to Medicaid and food stamps. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office the Medicaid changes could cause 11.8 million Americans to lose their health insurance over the next decade.

• The net income for the top 20% of earners will increase by nearly $13,000 per year, after taxes, according to one analysis. This amounts to a 3% average increase in income for those households.

• The bill will increase the deficit by about $3.4 trillion over the next decade, according to the budget office. It will add trillions to our debt and raise interest rates, making it more expensive for Americans to finance car and home purchases.

What would Ben Franklin think?

So I can’t help but think about what the Founding Fathers would think. I imagine that they would be disappointed. Politics is politics, but I have to imagine that they would oppose taking rights and freedoms away from the little guy so that the rich can have more shekels in their pockets. Hurting 11.8 millions, just so a few rich billionaires can roll in more money — that doesn’t feel right to me.

Ben Franklin once wrote, “When you’re good to others, you’re best to yourself.” Reading those words now I can’t imagine Ben would appreciate seeing members of the House high-fiving and patting themselves on the back for the passage of the bill that harms so many.

I believe Ben would be shaking his finger at the House and Senate and asking what in the name of God they were thinking. In fact, I suspect in time Congress’ move will be viewed as one of the most ill-conceived, self-serving actions in our lifetime.

Hope is hope

We live in some crazy times. Right is left, left is right. Top is bottom, bottom is top. You get my drift.

While I’m disappointed and question the honor and integrity of the President and so many other leaders, I find that Independence Day still gives me hope. It reminds me that when a few men and women come together for a mighty cause, anything is possible.

Independence Day gives me hope for a better day. It reminds me that we are fine as individuals, but we are better together.

Here’s to taking a stand for hope. Now bring on the fireworks.