Affirming our independence this weekend

The Fourth of July, Independence Day, is a good time not only for hot dogs and fireworks, but to reflect for a moment on what makes this country unique, the qualities that enabled it to become in some ways the most successful country in history, and to contemplate the extent to which those qualities still animate Americans.

It has been said that the United States is the only country founded on an idea, or a set of ideas, rather than on ethnic or racial similarities, kinship, conquest or the simple fact of a relatively homogeneous group of people living in the same geographic region for centuries.

Those ideas are summed up in the Declaration of Independence, the document whose signing and promulgation we celebrate. In some ways it can lay claim to being the most revolutionary public document in human history.

Aspects of the idea that people are not just vassals of the powers that be, interchangeable cogs in the great machinery of society presided over by leaders who had by and large established themselves through conquest and pillage, had been growing for centuries before 1776. But the circumstances surrounding the decision of the Colonists to separate from Great Britain offered the opportunity to summarize emerging principles in a uniquely eloquent manner.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident,” the Declaration proclaims, “that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

By “created equal,” of course, the founders were not so naïve as to believe that we were all equally tall, intelligent, beautiful or worthy, but that we have equal value in the sight of God or Natural Law and should receive equal treatment rather than preferences or punishment based on our status from government. Every human being has a certain inherent dignity, and decent people respect that.

It has become fashionable to talk of certain privileges or amenities bestowed by government as “rights,” but the Declaration is clear that people are “endowed by their Creator,” with certain rights, and that these rights exist prior to and take precedence over any claims by government. This was and still is truly revolutionary.

The rights discussed — life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness — are genuine rights in that they can be exercised without impinging on the equal rights of other human beings.

So what is government’s job in a system that recognizes unalienable rights? Simply “to secure these rights.” This implies a government of limited powers, for a government of unlimited powers will surely become a threat to rather than a securer of personal rights.

Our government has grown in scope, power and ambition far beyond the imaginings of those who put their lives on the line (and, in some cases, lost them) by signing the Declaration of Independence.

Yet the spirit of independence, the healthy distrust of overweening government power, as shown in polls taken this year, remains a stubborn American characteristic.

Long may it thrive.

Liz Cheney and the future of the GOP

Re “Cheney: Protect freedom or lose it” (June 30):

Liz Cheney seems to me to embody the best the Republican party has to offer: she has courage, integrity, intelligence, humility, and a solid conservative voting record going back many years.

Unfortunately this also makes her pretty much the polar opposite of Donald Trump, and Republican leaders have made it clear they prefer someone with Trump’s qualities rather than hers.

So a vote for the Republicans is now similar to a vote for the Democrats, namely a vote for national suicide.

When is former congressman Tom Campbell going to come up with that Common Sense party I keep hearing about?

Roe v. Wade

The Roe v. Wade ruling curtails rights to privacy for women and it is grossly unequal.

Many states will now force women to have children with no exceptions.

This is authoritarian.

The ruling now sets a precedent to curtail even more rights.

Bottom line: A woman no longer has equal protection under the law in nearly half the states.

I am worried about the safety of women in our country.

California should do everything in its power to keep

Biden/Trump

The letter writer (June 30) calls Biden “an empty suit, no character, no basic values.” This is reprehensible and without basis — how could the writer know such things about President Biden without ever meeting him?

Joe Biden, early in his career, suffered the tragedy of losing his wife and infant child in an automobile accident.

He had the courage to pick himself up and continue his life, something that few people could do.

He went on to a successful political career in the Senate for many years, followed by eight years as vice president, and now president, in spite of the former guy’s shameful and illegal dirty tricks.

The Supreme Court’s decision on Roe

Re “Is overturning Roe the right decision?” (June 28):

The Supreme Court correctly ruled that there is no Constitutional due process right to abortion.

Due process is inherently a procedural right including the right to present evidence and cross examine witnesses.

Nevertheless in prior rulings the Supreme Court created a new substantive due process right to protect substantive rights such as the right to abortion.

One problem with substantive due process is that it is a legal fiction and an oxymoron. It appears nowhere in the Constitution.

The bigger problem is that substantive due process allows the unelected court to act as a super legislature when the right to legislate belongs to elected state and federal legislators.

The country is about evenly divided on abortion but cases like Roe imposed one policy on the whole country.

Here the court correctly ruled that abortion policy should returned to the political representatives where it belongs.

Immigrant health care

Re “State is first to cover care for all immigrants” (July 1):

Now, Gavin Newsom is going to spend $2 billion a year of taxpayer money to give free healthcare to undocumented immigrants.

Really?

What has he done to help the small business owners and the people who pay for their own healthcare? Zero. I hope he runs for president in 2024 so he’s out of California.

Call for letter writers from L.A. County

Letters to the editor should be 150-200 words, and ideally focused on the issues of the day.

Send your thoughts to opinion@scng.com.

Please limit letters to 150 words.