Independence Day? Yeah, right!

I love America. I really do. I have lived in foreign countries, so I know that our freedom comes with a price. It is not just taxes; it is our men and women who are fighting in Iraq to keep us free from terrorists. I don't like the war, but I stand 150% behind our forces there. But this is not meant to be a political statement. Not exactly.
Still, I cringe when I see the inroads our government is making into our private lives. If a family is hungry and goes to apply for foodstamps, they have to first have a Social Security number for each member of the family, including little Baby Jane, who just put in an appearance. If we send our kids to school, they have to have that same Social Security number, as well as the required vaccines. Then, all of a sudden we hear on the news, "Oops! Remember that shot you got for your kids? Researchers have discovered that it might be causing..." Thanks to computerization, every single government agency can tap into the information all the other government agencies have on each and every one of us. There might be one exception to that rule; I hear that the FBI computers are so out-moded they can't even tell what they are doing, let alone what we are up to. That suits me just fine. Modernization and technology aren't always all they are cracked up to be. I recite that like a mantra every time my computer locks up!
But to me, the biggest invasion of our privacy--or that of the whole nation--came when the government decided that certain holidays should occur on Mondays, just so all the government workers get a 3-day holiday.
My mother and dad were married on Memorial Day. That was always May 30. Then somebody decided that should be changed. How is a good, duty-bound daughter supposed to remember to send them a card when the calendar doesn't have their anniversary marked in red any more. They have passed on now, but for many years it was a real problem. After all, the reason they got married on a holiday was so my dad wouldn't have to miss a day of work. Cancel that notion!

The next hit came with Washington's and Lincoln's birthdays. Who do they think they are? Now we celebrate "President's Day" instead. Since when can you change the day a person was born? Well, it is apparently possible. I don't know if Congress got into the picture on that one, or how it came about, but if you asked kids today when Washington and Lincoln were born, I'm willing to bet that mighty few of them would know the correct answers are "Feb. 22 and Feb. 12."

My dad's birthday was Sept. 4. A lot of years it fell on Labor Day. I think that was the first legan holiday that was held on a Monday. And it's kind of ironic that the one that started it all was proclaimed a holiday, and it is to celebrate work, but people don't have to work that day! Go figure!

I think Thanksgiving is safe. After all, it falls on Thursday, and government workers get Friday off, too. Even they are smart enough to figure out that if they move it to a Monday, they will only get a three-day weekend instead of a four-day weekend.

And now, as I sit and look at the calendar, I see that they have finally done it. Yup, if you look closely, you will see that they have managed to put the Fourth of July on a Monday. One can only wonder if this trend will continue. Will the Fourth of July next year fall on the fifth--or the third?

Ah, the mysteries of life! I hope you all have a safe and happy Fourth of July. Enjoy your freedom. It might be short-lived, but it's still the best one the world has to offer!