This year, the 4th of July simply makes me sad.

I was trying to summon up a rush of pride to write about what makes our country great, and all I could think about was how far we've sunk. How distant we've ventured from those original settlers who said, "No more!" and  declared their independence. They fought and sacrificed to be free of a government that oppressed them, taxed them, stole from them, and enforced rules without any type of representation upon them.

We have somehow forgotten what freedom really means and so we have lost it, incrementally and for many people, voluntarily.

Here we stand today, on July 4, 2016, with a government that has systematically crushed the rights that were demanded 240 years ago when the founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence.

They tax us unreasonably, and if we don't pay, they will take the money right from our bank accounts or steal our possessions.

In many states, we must ask for permission to catch a fish, drive a car, own a gun, or build an extra room onto our homes, just to name a few.

Permits and licenses are big revenue generators from start to finish – and if you proceed without asking permission, they will extort more money from you in the form of fines. If you refuse to pay the fines (or if you can't) they'll kidnap you and lock you in a cage, where you'll be forced to perform manual labor for 10 cents an hour for whatever length of time the legal authorities feel is sufficient to teach you a lesson.

Then there's civil asset forfeiture. In many instances, without due process or a trial, our possessions and money can be taken from us on the "suspicion" that they are the benefits of some crime we haven't been convicted of.

We're unable to voice our opinions without incurring the wrath of so-called social justice warriors, who may actually mean well in an idealistic kind of way, but end up causing more oppression when they try to right a wrong by forcing people  to abide by  their way of thinking.

Every time a bad act occurs, people plead to give away even more of their freedom because they believe it will make them safer.  They are willing to be fondled and naked-body-scanned by the TSA in order to board a plane. They want to make a phone call and wait for the police to save them instead of picking up their own firearm and refusing to be a victim. They want to be surrounded by gun free zones, rainbows, and armed guards instead of taking responsibility for their own safety.

People believe that they must go and vote and choose "the lesser of two evils" in a presidential election that has been shown to be a sham directed by the media and social networks.  Why must we choose between evils? Are there really no good people in America that could take on that office? Perhaps the candidates we get are the candidates we deserve when we refuse to demand better.

Somehow, this land of rugged individuals has become populated with scared children, who expect to be cared for, fed, protected, and made to feel good about themselves, all by government mandate. Many people seem to have no desire whatsoever to earn their keep, provide for their families, or take responsibility for their own safety. They expect the workplace to be one of sunshine and lollipops, with ample time off, equal pay for all, and. don't forget, lots of kind words for everyone.

Our culture is just so incredibly dependent.

And to some extent, we've let this happen because they are louder than us.