I’m sure they do, but I really wonder what they are thinking about. It seems to me that almost everything they stand for is anti-American. I don’t mean treasonous; I mean that they seem to have nothing but disdain for the things that make America … America.

The Fourth isn’t just a simple celebration of America, it’s a celebration of freedom. What else could that possibly mean besides enjoying the right to be left alone to do your own thing, without the government baring down on you with pointless restrictions, burdensome regulations and smothering taxes? Aren’t economic freedom, capitalism, innovation and entrepreneurship still core American values?

The destruction of economic freedom is at the forefront of the liberal agenda, as far as I can tell. They seem to envision a massively taxed welfare state akin to the quasi-socialisms of northern Europe. But then what are they celebrating on the Fourth? “Hooray America … I wish you didn’t have a heritage of economic freedom … I wish you were more like Sweden” … ?

Who could argue that individualism and “independent spirit” aren’t core to the American identity? In the political realm, this translates to individual responsibility. In other words, take care of yourself and suffer the consequences of your own mistakes (and conversely, reap the rewards when you do things right). Isn’t this really the opposite of the liberal program of ever more government programs to save us from our own laziness, incompetence and stupidity – to make those who are competent and driven subsidize those who refuse to try?

Besides the economic stuff, there’s the basic nitty gritty of what makes America unique. I’m surely biased, but here’s a sampling of things that I think are uniquely American. First of all, vehicles. Americans of modest means have garages full of cars, trucks, motorcycles, RV’s, boats, snowmobiles, 4-wheelers, Jeeps, tractors, and God knows what else. I don’t think there is anyplace else in the world with America’s level of personal airplane ownership.

Next, bigness. Americans of modest means (depending on where, of course) can live in big houses on large parcels of land. Especially in the west, communities are spread far and wide with vast areas of undeveloped land in-between. For now, Americans have access to hundreds or thousands of square miles of open land for camping, hiking, biking, hunting, 4×4 trail riding and almost anything else imaginable.

Next, guns and hunting. These are part of our national heritage. America is now one of the last holdouts when it comes to massive restrictions on private ownership. Western Europe, Canada, and even Australia have all implemented massive restrictions on civilian firearms ownership.

Finally, Christianity. America is, I think, the last holdout among developed western nations. While I’m not a practicing Christian myself, I can’t help but acknowledge that America has always been a Christian nation, and the fact that we are still (however scantily) clinging to those traditions surely explains why we are still behind Western Europe on the slippery slope of moral decay.

So call me crazy, but to me, America is the place where a middle class person can wake up in the morning in his 2500 square-foot house, go out to the garage and hop in his full-size Chevy pickup, tow his boat to the lake and go fishing. The next day, he might go to the range for some target practice, go out to the airport and rent a plane, or drive his Jeep out to the desert to explore the trails. Oh, and there’s still a decent chance that the guy is actually married to the mother of his children.

Now, contrast that to the liberal vision: Instead of living in a house, the guy lives in an urban center in an 800 square foot apartment. Ideally, he takes public transportation, but if he’s willing to pay the massive registration fees, he can drive an electric (or hydrogen powered) three wheel scooter. Boats and airplanes are out of reach to all but the most wealthy because of the high income tax rates and huge luxury taxes. Guns and hunting are illegal except for shotguns, which must be stored at the local police station. Marriage is gone, having been replaced with “cohabitation contracts” which do not specify the gender of the participants, nor the number of participants. And while there may still be huge areas of unpopulated wilderness, enjoying it is not possible, because access is prohibited.

Maybe I’m being unfair, I don’t know. All I know for sure is that everything liberals seem to want has already been done in Canada or Western Europe. On the other hand, the things that are important to me (and others like me) about America can’t be found anyplace else. Why do they have to ruin it for us, when they could just move someplace they like better?

And why celebrate the Fourth when you dislike the essence of America?