200 vs. 250
On July 4, 1976 I was optimistic about the future of the U.S.A. Leah and I had just bought our first home in April and were looking forward to celebrating the nation’s bi-centennial. The country was in a festive mood. Our Democracy had just survived a tumultuous period from 1962 to 1976 which included four assassinations, the Cuban Missile Crisis, race riots in our cities, anti-war protests at our universities, Watergate, the Vietnam War, an oil embargo, and the resignation of President Nixon and Vice-President Agnew.
Despite these major challenges, we put a man on the moon, we eliminated polio, we passed the Civil Rights Bill of 1965, we built a middle class around our great manufacturing skills, and we became the foremost economic engine in the world. Most of all, our Democracy survived the most crooked president in history.
We survived because we were a country that put country ahead of personal ambitions. We survived because we had a Congress that was willing to work together for the betterment of the country. A congress that was willing to stand up to a crooked president. Democrats and Republicans certainly disagreed, but members of Congress socialized together, negotiated legislation, and often found bipartisan compromises. Political opponents were rarely viewed as enemies. In 1976, Americans generally viewed themselves first as Americans, even while disagreeing over important issues.
It culminated in a presidential election in November between two of the most ethical and honest presidents in our history, Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter. Our Democracy was stronger than ever in 1976.
On Saturday July 4, 2026, our country celebrates its 250th birthday. In the last, 50 years, the U.S. accomplishments cannot be denied. Health care advances have been exceptional. Technological innovations, including the internet, smartphone and personal computer have changed our lives and how we interact, obtain information, communicate, conduct personal business, teach, and learn. Self-driving cars and robots are no longer fantasies, they are a way of life in the U.S. in 2026. The United States remains the world’s largest economy. More Americans than ever pursue higher education, start businesses, and connect globally. Our military remains the strongest in the world, and our democratic institutions—while under stress—continue to function. However, our democracy is not nearly as strong.
Our democracy is being challenged as never before in my lifetime. The challenge before us is not whether America is still a great nation. It is whether we can recover the habits that made our democracy work so well in 1976.
As we celebrate America’s 250th birthday, perhaps the lesson from our Bicentennial fifty years ago is this: democracy depends not only on elections but on trust, civility, and a willingness to see fellow citizens as neighbors rather than enemies. Democracy requires citizens and politicians who are willing to listen, to question their own assumptions, to respect opposing points of view, to accept that compromise is not a weakness but a strength, to accept that doing what is right for the country is more important than personal gain.
That is a tradition worth reclaiming.
Happy Birthday, America.
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Quick Thoughts
Orchid of the Day: U.S Men’s National Team for advancing to the round of 16 with their 2-0 win tonight over Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Today is July 1st, which in the baseball world is annually celebrated as Bobby Bonilla Day, when the retired New York Mets star is paid $1.2 million by his former team. The 63-year-old Bonilla, who retired from MLB in 2001, collects a check for $1,193,248.20 from the Mets every July 1 from 2011 through 2035, when he’ll be 72 years old. That’s because Bonilla and the Mets agreed to a deferred contract buyout in 2000 to pay the remainder of his $5.9 million contract. The buyout agreement included annual payments of about $1.2 million for 25 years beginning July 1, 2011, through July 1, 2035. The Mets agreed to the deferred payments because team ownership – comprised of Fred Wilpon, his son Jeff, and his brother-in-law Saul Katz – was invested with famed Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff, who promised double-digit returns that never materialized.
From the NY Times. At a recent meeting of the University of Michigan board of regents, Domenico Grasso, Michigan’s president, addressed the departure of men’s basketball coach Dusty May, whose decision to coach the Dallas Mavericks blindsided U of M fans. At Michigan and elsewhere, losing one of college basketball’s brightest minds was viewed as another canary in the increasingly toxic coal mine of college sports. “Coach May told me that among his reasons for leaving were uncertainties and pressures involving the transfer portal and NIL support for student-athletes,” Grasso said. “He and I agreed that the future of college sports is headed in the wrong direction.”
The Detroit Tigers starting pitching ERA of 3.76 is the fifth best in the MLB, but the Tigers have the 24th best record. What does that say about their hitting?
Fox News claimed in a never-ending story that Hunter Biden profited to the tune of $20 million in foreign transactions using his father’s name. That pales in comparison to the $2 Billion that President Trump and his family made in 2025 according to the 927-page financial disclosure recently released by President Trump. Where is the outrage from FOX News?
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Contact your Congressperson
Contact your congressman by following these easy steps This can be done in a few easy steps
Step 1: find your congressman by clicking on this link, Find Your Representative | house.gov
Step 2: Put your zip code in the proper space.
Step 3: Click the button “find your representative””
Step 4: In the new page that comes up you will see a picture of your congressman. Click on your congressman’s name under the picture.
Step 5: In the new page that comes up, Click on Contact Me at the top of the page and then click on Email me.
Step 6: Fill out the information as required.
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Quote of the Day: “Many people think it is feeling sad, but depression is so much more than that. It is physical, it is emotional and until you experience it yourself, it is difficult to fully understand how powerful this illness can be.” Thomas Kean, a House Republican from New Jersey, returned to Capitol Hill after disappearing from the public eye for months with almost no explanation. He revealed in a speech on the House floor that he had been hospitalized for depression.
Orchid of the Day: USMNT for their 2-0 World Cup victory today
Onion of the Day: Immigration and Custom Enforcement. A nun was released from immigration custody after she was arrested walking to Mass in her habit in South Texas. Sister Leticia Ugboaja was walking to Our Lady of Sorrows Church in McAllen, Texas, just a few miles from the U.S.-Mexico border on Sunday when she was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
So much for only detaining and arresting criminals.
Question of the Day: Do soccer players take acting lessons?
Lyrics of the Day: Deep in my soul, I’ve been so lonely
All of my hopes fading away
I’ve longed for love, like everyone else does
I know I’ll keep searching, even after today
So there it is, girl
I’ve said it all now
And here we are, babe
What do you say?
Lyrics of the Day for June 24, 2026. I Don’t Want to Miss a Think by Aerosmith
Video of the Day: Love at 1,454 ft: Climbing duo arrested after Empire State Building proposal
Great reflections on July 4th, 1976, Tom. America is, and always has been, a tumultuous country internally, Until Trump and MAGA, however, it had been a pillar of unity in the defense of democracy around the world. And I fear too many of us are being naive about what this 250th 'birthday' really means for America.
Heard about Bobby Bonilla on npr this morning. Interesting and then more facts you added about Mets ownership. Ha.