by Jerry Agar

You will celebrate family and friends - hopefully with family and friends.  You will eat, you will drink, and you will be merry.  Perhaps on Friday you will shop your brains out.  You will do what you want to do - because that is what Americans do. 

It is worth pointing out that, as bad as things may seem, there's still plenty of reasons why this is a great country.  We have high unemployment, a failing stimulus, the health care "reform" debate, etc.  Despite all of that, where would you rather be?

Here are my ten reasons to be thankful you are celebrating this most American holiday here in America.

10.  Freedom to travel.  Go where you want, when you want, how you want.  And - as is not the case in some countries - if you don’t love it, you can choose to leave.  And if you change your mind, you can come back.

9.  Culture.  American movies, recordings, and art are consumed worldwide.  We get all of it here 24 hours a day on electronic devices that increase in number as quickly as they decrease in price.  We have sports and live entertainment every day all day.  America is not just a place to do business and become upwardly mobile.  It is a place to have fun.

8.  Charity.  Americans are the most generous people on the planet.  This is not proven only by our international aid programs, but by personal donations over and above taxes.  Sure, Americans are richer than people in other nations, but also more generous than those in other developed counties.

7.  Ingenuity unleashed.  We have the freedom to advance new ideas and to tinker with the old; to improvise, improve, and create.  If we hit on an idea that serves the public we have the right to profit.  Our wealthy lifestyle is the result.

6.  Freedom of religion.  No matter the world situation, the right to worship freely in America results in the most peaceful co-existence of various religions in history.

5.  Education.  Even the poorest child has access to an education and, therefore, hope for the future.

4.  Health.  Wondrous advances in drugs and medical knowledge have extended and improved our lives.  New advances appear every day.  USA Today reported, “Projected life expectancy in the USA has risen from 70.8 years for people born in 1970 to 78.5 years for people born in 2010.”

3.  Rule of law.  We are a nation of laws, not of men.  The law is the law, and it applies to all.  Importantly, it does so with consistency.  We know that when we wake up tomorrow, the government will be there and the rules will be basically the same.  The stronger the Rule of Law is, the more able businesses are to plan and invest for the future.  It is easy to get cynical about it and think that the rich and powerful have their own laws, but consider how many Illinois governors have gone to jail.

2.  The vote.  Your voice matters.  We have the right to take our complaints to government and a right to vote out of office those who will not serve the public.  Power flows up, not down.

1.  Freedom.