Declaration of Independence

by | Jul 4, 2026 | Revolutionary War, Society | 135 comments

In Congress, July 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Deleted passage regarding slavery: “He has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating its most sacred rights of life & liberty in the persons of a distant people who never offended him, captivating & carrying them into slavery in another hemisphere or to incur miserable death in their transportation thither.”

Happy Independence Day. Peace out, Glibbies.


About The Author

Spudalicious

Spudalicious

Survey says I’m a Paleolibertarian bitches. That means I eat “L”ibertarians for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Soave tastes a little fruity. Wait a minute, that doesn’t sound quite right…

135 Comments

  1. Ted S.

    He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

    Compare that to 2026.

    • rhywun

      There are a few other grievances in there too which have come back today with a vengeance.

    • Spudalicious

      I was reading something that was discussing how the government is much more intrusive on our lives now that King George ever imagined.

      • Chafed

        That’s because King George never read Orwell.

    • creech

      And every one of them whined when they got the Yankee boot.

  2. dbleagle

    In the Declaration Jefferson only mentioned one right twice and the second time stated it was a duty. The right to revolution.

    The Bill of Rights in the 1A lists a bunch of things the government can’t abrogate, and in the 2A gives the people the ability to enforce the Constitution and BoR from an unresponsive government.

    What a testament to the inherent rights of mankind. Good work gents.

    • Raven Nation

      “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants”

    • Spudalicious

      I also read that democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding what’s for lunch. The second amendment gives the sheep a say.

      • creech

        It’s a wolf and two sheep; wolf promises to never ever eat one of the sheep if it votes for eating the other sheep.

      • Fourscore

        Thanks Creech, 1 wolf majority ’cause the wolf does the counting

  3. Drake

    What I really like about our revolution – Brits kept telling our Founders “comply or else”.

    They chose “or else” every single time. Well done.

  4. The Late P Brooks

    Rights are created and granted by the government. Everybody knows that.

  5. dbleagle

    Always an appropriate march for today. Mahalo.

    When I was assuming command of my battalion the division sent part of the division band there to perform at the required times. The leader asked the outgoing commander if he would like a march for bringing us onto the field. He looked panicked and so I suggested the “Liberty Bell March” be played. I could see he got it, and brigade commander who was presiding got it. But only a few troops got it.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-xKri5Jmik&list=RDK-xKri5Jmik&start_radio=1

    I am sure this group will get it after only a bar or two.

    • rhywun

      LOL I never knew the name of that or that it was Sousa.

    • Gustave Lytton

      As the incoming BC, I expect you rectified it with mandatory fun Monty Python night followed by a rousing course of Benny Hill.

      • dbleagle

        I didn’t have time since we were jetting off to OIF 1 to support the 4ID. From the plan to enter during the invasion through Turkey it turned into waiting for gear to arrive in Kuwait and “sprinting” north to keep the fight going north of Baghdad.

        The division did have a “secret” movie and music drive on the network once we settled in the Sunni Triangle. By the time we left in 2004 EVERYBODY who was there could give you huge chunks of dialogue from “Groundhog Day” and “The Big Lebowski”. Both movies fit the “idiom of our day” very well.

      • Fourscore

        “Important papers…”

    • rhywun

      Always an appropriate march for today

      *watches*

      That was fantastic.

      It’s weird that I have loved some of that Brit Walton’s coronation marches for decades but I own nothing by Sousa.

  6. Pat

    But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government.

    This was written over 10% tariffs and the rough equivalent of a $4 per gallon tax on molasses and $2 a copy stamps on official documents, btw. There were no income taxes. No capital gains taxes. No energy taxes. No departments of transportation, labor, housing, health, or education. No securities and exchange commission. No interstate commerce restrictions on growing grain on your own property for your own consumption. No secret police, authorized by secret courts. No spy agencies. No mass surveillance. No vaccine mandates. No truancy laws. No Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or Temporary Assistance for Need Families. No minimum wages or price controls. 25,000 people over the course of 8 years got themselves killed fighting off the world’s most expensive and powerful military at the time over impositions of authority that are now so trivial they wouldn’t cause a rural town of 500 people to vote out their mayor.

    • Gustave Lytton

      No building permits or inspectors.

      • Homple

        “By today’s standards King George III was a very mild tyrant indeed. He taxed his American colonists at a rate of only pennies per annum. His actual impact on their personal lives was trivial. He had arbitrary power over them in law and in principle but in fact it was seldom exercised. If you compare his rule with that of today’s U.S. Government you have to wonder why we celebrate our independence….”

        …Joseph Sobran

      • Muzzled Woodchipper

        I celebrate our ndependence not necessarily for everything that we’ve become, but because it ensured that we haven’t yet turned out like the Brits.

      • rhywun

        A “least worst” kind of thing.

        *insert weak yay sound effect*

      • Muzzled Woodchipper

        We have our problems.

        Arresting people for tweets and hundreds of thousands of young girls being raped by savages while we keep quiet for fear of being called racist aren’t among them, however.

      • Evan from Evansville

        America does have problems, but considering our geographic and demographic size, and the resources and land available? The US is/was as successful, effective, polite and charitable as ‘a group’ of humans could possibly achieve.

        The Constitution is the pinnacle of the political Enlightenment. The cultural traditions, beliefs and practices that led to it are not ‘available’ most places in the world.

        With all the power we had and still have, every other country would’ve destroyed and/or taken over the world. Britain would’ve been the 2nd most polite and they’d have maintained and furthered their global empire.

        We, The People, have done really well.

      • R C Dean

        The cultural traditions, beliefs and practices that led to it are not ‘available’ most places in the world.

        I would say they have died out entirely everywhere, including here in the US.

  7. The Late P Brooks

    Meanwhile, New Jersey is saving us from dynamic pricing

    New Jersey is one step closer to banning surveillance pricing after lawmakers passed legislation that would limit how retailers use shoppers’ personal data to set individualized prices.

    State lawmakers passed the Fair Price Protection Act on Tuesday, which would prohibit retailers and third-party grocery delivery platforms from using consumers’ personal data collected through electronic surveillance to charge different prices for the same grocery and food products. The bill now awaits the signature of Democratic Governor Mikie Sherrill.

    How does that even work?

    I can see how it could conceivably work on line, but for in person grocery shopping? Does Safeway implant RFID chips in customers’ necks? Is there really that much money in overcharging “disfavored” customers?

    Something tells me this is a “fairness” issue similar to risk-based financing or insurance. You can’t charge crazy poor people a higher interest rate just because they’re more likely to default. That would be wrong.

    • rhywun

      How does that even work?

      Sounds like it ends shopper discount cards to me.

      • Sensei

        There is a carve out noted below, but I’m not going to parse it to figure out the holes.

      • Fourscore

        Like a car dealer, total up all the accessories, tax and transportation and your trade in and find out how bad the hosing is going to be.

      • rhywun

        Wegmans got in hot water recently for scanning entering visitors. And they didn’t really claim a satisfactory reason for doing it, either.

      • Gustave Lytton

        Surge pricing of hot dog buns on July 3.

      • Rat on a train

        How does that work when multiple people are in the same aisle?

      • Sensei

        Preponderance of purple people?

        Polarized shelf tag only visible when you directly look at it?

      • Fourscore

        Surreptitiously checks your credit card balance and sets the total price.

  8. Evan from Evansville

    The most polite and clearly outlined Fuck You letter of treason in human history, against the most powerful empire in human history. It’s quite remarkable, how all the people, events, legal, political, cultural, and geographic realities came together in America to create this place. Could only happen here. For all its fuckery, it’s still better than all the rest.

    ~J̵o̵h̵n̵ Herbie Hancock

    • rhywun

      And hoo-boy does Pat give a long list of fuckery up there.

    • Evan from Evansville

      *gaze intensifies* Why am I finding this room, now? Huh? Why is this song named after me, again? What is it you’d say … I DO around here? (That’s China, but those alleys are fondly reminiscent.)

      My name continues to take over. Not sure how I feel about it. Worked with two other Evans at Walmart, but I can easily conquer them.

      • Pat

        Worked with two other Evans at Walmart, but I can easily conquer them.

        I remember that movie.

  9. RAHeinlein

    Paraguay – a team of thugs and I think the Ref was paid-off. Thankfully, France still won.

    • rhywun

      I don’t like either team and watched maybe 20 seconds of it.

    • rhywun

      Tomorrow’s matches look more promising. At least I don’t actively loathe any of the teams.

      LOL:

      WHY DANES AND SWEDES WANT BRAZIL TO END NORWAY HYPE

      I’m almost more amused at some of the ethnic rivalries we’re not supposed to be paying any attention to than the games.

      • Ted S.

        You don’t loathe England or the Putos?

      • rhywun

        Not really. Should I?

      • Ted S.

        Every American should hate Mexico with the heat of a thousand suns.

        And England are consistently overrated and given more coverage than they deserve. It’s a variation on the star-fucking most sports coverage does.

      • RAHeinlein

        Agreed – tomorrow is a great soccer day. Meals and snacks already lined-up!

      • dbleagle

        US comics go on about sex and their significant others. Iceland is riffing on linguistics among the Norse languages and WTF is up with Finnish.

      • rhywun

        Well, Finnish is not a Germanic language so it’s not surprising that all of the Scandis would find it baffling. It is more akin to Hungarian – another language that has nothing in common with those around it.

  10. Evan from Evansville

    History Channel’s showing their ‘George Washington: Father of his Country’ special. A lot of time spent on his earlier days as a loyal (and not terribly good?) British officer. Pretty well done, didn’t see all of it.

    It was on maybe yesterday, but I’m shocked ‘Independence Day’ isn’t running 24/7. ‘Patriot’ was on earlier, as it should be. There are far too few Revolutionary movies. Hell, just do Johnny Tremain. I liked that book in 4th grade. (Haven’t read it since.) There’s lots of secret, civilian spy shit to have fun with, as well.

    • rhywun

      I think I was happy to stick a fork in my eye than finish “Johnny Tremain” – blecch.

      Have some Independence Day.

    • Ted S.

      Johnny Tremain is a Disney live-action movie. Disney tends to keep its stuff in the vault.

      • Evan from Evansville

        I just saw they made that in the ’50s. Never seen it. Fuck, that’s at least something that could actually use a reboot. Just don’t make it a damn musical. And be rated R. With a hot chick, who may or not be a honeypot spy. So make it for me, Disney. (Or think about it. Just make a good flick for kiddos. That’s my actual preference. (But do think about that other one.))

      • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

        That was my brothers favorite book when we were kids. I have seen the B&W movie at some point, as I remember a couple scenes and I never read it.

      • Threedoor

        My
        Kids love the old Disney live action stuff.

    • Ted S.

      John Tyler is the father of his country, considering how many kids he had.

  11. Fourscore

    Locals having their own early fireworks show. I can hear them but too many trees to see anything.

    • Ted S.

      Ditto here, although not as many trees.

    • rhywun

      I hear some too.

      lol I usually watch the Macy’s fireworks but I was watching Dr. Who instead and missed it. Oh well.

      The local cable news is showing something taking place on the brutalist New York State government campus in Albany. Gah, pass.

    • Muzzled Woodchipper

      I really wanted to watch a good fireworks show tonight, but all of the local ones are trash, and the very spectacular show in Louisville every year is overpacked to the gills. You have to make reservations upwards of a year in advance to get a good view.

      Having grown up in Florida, I’ve been pretty spoiled by Disney fireworks shows which are nothing short of amazing. It’s hard to watch podunk fireworks after seeing some of those shows. I saw a 4th of July show there running on 2 decades ago that still blows my mind when I think about it.

    • DEG

      Fireworks here for the last few hours. Seems to be quieting down a bit now.

      • DEG

        And they started up again.

      • Ownbestenemy

        Ya still going on here too

    • Evan from Evansville

      Folk are still having their own ones over here. Carmel had its at 10. I didn’t go but saw the clouds brighten. I did have many thoughts today about how lucky we are. I live in fancy land now, but Evansville was pretty ‘normal.’ I’ve lived here and in Germany, S Korea, Singapore and Thailand. We got profoundly lucky with our LOB (L̵e̵f̵t̵ ̵o̵n̵ ̵B̵a̵s̵e̵ Location of Birth). We’re blessed *to be ABLE* to complain like we do.

      Wow. Pea-soup foggy at Wrigley. Can’t see the outfielders.

  12. Sean

    Fucking power is out here. Like 20 minutes so far. 🤬🤬

    • Sean

      I thought I lived in a first world country…

      • rhywun

        A lot of people are furiously working to end that so… yeah.

    • UnCivilServant

      *looks at hydro plant just upriver*

      I hope nobody notices and kills it.

      • rhywun

        Leftists seem conflicted on hydro. It doesn’t involve sinful molecules but it might hurt plankton or some shit so who knows how long they will allow New Yorkers to benefit from it.

  13. Ownbestenemy

    Our neighborhood, Gunpowder Trails is living up to the name. Everyone is putting as much artillery as possible into the air.

    One particular guy is launching these screaming, low arcing mortars and I don’t like them

    • Chafed

      I view that as a provocation. Feel free to return fire.

    • Tres Cool

      I’m not a combat veteran but Ive been shot at. Its not cool.

    • Ownbestenemy

      Now mother nature is gonna tell us to hold its beer. T-storm incoming

  14. Tres Cool

    “For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:”

    Huh.

    • Ownbestenemy

      Its not 1776 anymore boomer, we need a new social contract!

    • Furthest Blue pistoffnick (370HSSV)

      This freedom you speak of…does it include expanding my deck without the county needing a permit? A 3 foot wide deck is NOT very wide. No, no it does not.

      Does it allow me to have 2 cows, 2 pigs, and 26 chickens on my 7 acre property without a variance from the county? No, no it does not.

      Can I cut down all the trees on my property to create grazing land for more animals? No, no I can’t.

      Can I protest that my county raised my taxes 11 percent this year by a vote of 5/6? Only one of my county commisioners voted againt but only because the largesse didn’t flow into her district. There was no consideration of cutting spending. I can protest, but it wouldn’t do much.

      Can I get back the 40%-45% of my income that gets confiscated by the federal, state, and local governments as taxes? No, no I cannot. Those transgender opera singers in Columbia know how to spend my money better than I do.

      While I can celebrate the ideal of American freedom, I have yet to experience it.

      Fuck off with your jingoism. There is very little freedom left.

      • rhywun

        At least we’re free to bitch about it.

        A lot of countries don’t even have that anymore.

        Progress!

      • Evan from Evansville

        @Nick: Good disclaimer for me to add. I’ve paid taxes in all, but I’ve never owned property or started a business. Taxes, permits, non-Medicaid govt agencies and departments, and more? All things I’m openly ignorant of. Take the whole shaker of salt, from me.

        (Was formally questioned by the Korean police in the station for assault, though. That was interesting.)

      • rhywun

        Can I get back the 40%-45% of my income that gets confiscated by the federal, state, and local governments as taxes?

        I deal with that by telling myself that we’re all in the same boat.

        And then I remember that there is a gigantic slice of Americans who pay precisely nothing and remember that that I’m just a chump.

      • rhywun

        “State income tax is just one part of the total tax burden — property and sales tax also matter”

        So the map is meaningless. Give me the total burden.

      • Gender Traitor

        You want me to research every county in the country?? 😕

      • rhywun

        Yes? 😛

      • Gender Traitor

        I’ll have to get back to you on that. It may take me a while.

        I figured seeing the state tax rates might be a place to start. Pick a state you can imagine living in, then check out specific cities or counties of interest and check out sales taxes, property taxes, overall cost of living, zoning restrictions, whatever quality of life characteristics are important to you to see what they’re like in that area.

      • Fourscore

        PONick, you forgot the part where they can come on your property, push down a bunch of trees, claim the road needs widening, without asking or checking with you.

        Then lie to you, claim they have a right-of-way and when challenged walk away and leave the mess for the property owner to clean up.

    • Evan from Evansville

      Countries may be learning to give love-squeezes to Trump’s ego. ‘We’ tend to respect others’ big traditions, IIRC. I believe we purposefully show off to make our own point. Blue Angels and similar. Gotta say. I like that part of Trump’s whole shtick. ‘Y’all don’t have this type of tech or capabilities? Yeah. We just fuck around with it.’

      Yeah. Rome and China used to do that shit. In homo sapiens terms, I think it’s a smart play. Me likey, all things considered. I’m mostly upset how weak our Woke Puppet made us look.

    • rhywun

      “Their Majesties” 🙄

      Yeah, we revolted to get away from that shit. Piss off.

  15. dbleagle

    A bit after 5pm here and the locals are starting their “boom time” while the Sun is still hours above the horizon. Buffalo steak, corn on the cob and Dark-N-Stormy for dinner as soon as the meat is done on the grill.

  16. Brochettaward

    Something I don’t think I’ve seen anyone ever really mention when it comes to wages and stagnation/decline.

    Since the 1970’s, an extra 20% or more of women entered the workforce. Along with mass immigration. That’s a roughly 10% increase in the supply of labor just from the women. Immigrants went from 5% of he workforce to 20 fucking %.

    Wage growth has mostly stagnated in that time. We hear so much about “population decline,” but to be blunt population decline isn’t necessarily bad for the average person. The most extreme example I can think of would be the Black Death in Europe. We recognize that it led to a rise in wages for peasants because there were simply fewer of them to do it and they had more weight.

    I’ve argued in the past that it was capitalism that really led to the “emancipation” of women. They may have always worked in some numbers, though their roles obviously changed and they were more active economically. You can’t flood the market with cheaper labor options and really expect wages to grow.

    Or maybe I’m just crazy. The answer being a lot simpler than just “muh corporate greed” doesn’t really fly these days.

    • Brochettaward

      You look into the Black Death and you’ll find a lot of bullshit about wealth “inequality” rising which has and always will be a dumb metric.

      Outside the state itself though who needs us a tax slaves, and employers who nominally save on labor costs, who the fuck benefits from a mass influx of population?

      And of course we can’t forget the modern welfare state. It needs a larger supply of workers than retirees or the entire ponzi scheme crumbles. Which tends to lead to an inflationary period as the state tries to keep it all running. That is hitting Japanese workers of late as one example.

      Yet companies were forced to offer the largest wage hikes in three decades to attract workers as they competed for the shrinking pool of workers.

      I think about this every time someone talks about population decline, but it almost never gets articulated by anyone. You just hear pop decline = bad. And you know, it really isn’t the end of the world for the average worker bee.

    • Evan from Evansville

      Related, but in a different direction: First thing that comes to mind when “an extra 20% or more of women entered the workforce?” The further push into The State taking more control from parents. After all? Who’s at home to take care of ’em? (‘And, yeah. We’re gonna need a bigger budget. This year and next, yes. Next decades, yes.’)

  17. Threedoor

    Let er rip!

    I’m tarded. Cant get my new AR trigger right. OOB is not what I expected.

    Oh well.

    Festivities!! https://ibb.co/tTDGNNft

    • Sean

      Frt? Did ya put in a heavier buffer?

  18. dbleagle

    So because the rain delay in DC I actually watched OMB speak and then the fireworks show and concert from DC. Let me state up front I hate hate hate listening to OMB speak. His tempo and vocal patterns just drive me up a wall. Despite this he did a good job for the speaking. Only a couple of “woe is me” points which a disciplined public speaker would have skipped. But Trump is Trump and did the Trump thing. Fortunately, he didn’t dwell on them. He also did the “how great America is now” thing which under any other Prez would be ignored- the media won’t because TDS. A very effective thing he centered his remarks on were having various original flags from our history there on stage. He discussed each and had family members, veterans, MoH winners, etc. come up for each flag and be publicly recognized by Trump and the crowd. For example, a vet of Normandy with one of the first flags back into France, an Iwo Jima vet for the flag that went up at Mt Suribachi, etc. He had the last man to walk on the moon (Apollo 17) with the Artemis II crew and presented them with the flag that will be brought back to the moon on Artemis (if it happens). That was a very effective reflection on our history.

    He did, to my approval, dump heavily on communism and that Americans will never accept it to control our lives. He never called out a person by name- he just dumped scorn on the entire philosophy.

    Trump let everyone know he was staying for the show and he did. The fireworks display was impressive but over choreographed to me. Nothing will compare with Berlin on New Years 2023. That was one of the most impressive things I have seen, and it was all spontaneous by the residents of Berlin. That said, it was a respectable show and despite CNN’s hope I don’t think anyone will die from the smoke.

    It was a Joint military band and singers. That was a good call. The National Anthem was well done. The songs were standards. I am a bit puzzled that it started with Chicago’s “26 to 4”, but they did a good job. Teh gayz can’t say ‘Murica or the Prez doesn’t accept them since “YMCA” was in the set. It was played and sung by a Soldier (I think it should have been a sailor.) The crowd, even the muslims, were happily doing the whole Y-M-C-A thing, along with OMB’s daughter and even Trump was jamming along. Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Carolina” had the crowd enthusiastically participating.

    After the show ended the PA’s were playing “Time to Say Goodbye” by Andrea Bocelli. CSPAN cut away, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the version with Sarah Brightman since that is the “classic” version.

    All in all, it was “good Donald” on display tonight. Of course, I am anticipating the MSM will denounce his comments on communism.

    • Ownbestenemy

      Its unamerican to disparage polotical beliefs…or something.

  19. dbleagle

    I must still decide on my fireworks drink for the pool. I have about 45 minutes to decide and get in the water. Hopefully no neighborhood dogs join me while I am watching the show. Twice I have found scared dogs in the pool on the 4th, and once on NYE.

    Glasses raised for America CCL!

  20. Brochettaward

    I have come to accept that fireworks are part of various holidays. I could get it if there’s kids involved and what not.

    I have nothing but open disdain for adults who get off on seeing a loud sparkly thing go boom. Let alone for the ones who keep it up at nearly 2 am. You are a mouth breather sir.

    • dbleagle

      In 2004 somebody set off a loud mortar BOOM while it was still daylight. The next thing I recognized I was under my pickup. My Iraq senses kicked in. (I had been back about 3 months.)

      • Threedoor

        Less than a week after we got back we were all standing around the company area when a guy cranked and cranked on his 70 something LTD, I was watching him thinking, dude your flooding it. When it backfired and all the dirt shoot out from under it I started laughing uncontrollably as lo around me joes were running and hitting the deck.

        I liked the mortars. They were pretty at night

  21. dbleagle

    Gin Ricky in hand watching the local show from the pool and Jimmy Buffett playing. A1A is still a great album.

  22. Gustave Lytton

    Neighbors were shooting off illegal fireworks. Great little show.

  23. Tres Cool

    suh’ fam
    yo whats goody yo

    TALL SABBATH CANS!

    • Sean

      So mad, I forgot the emojis.

      🔌🤬🖕

      • Tres Cool

        Since Hyperbole isnt here I’ll say it-

        you’re late

      • Sean

        Bite me.

    • rhywun

      WTF? Do you live in Cuba?

    • Rat on a train

      You are in a Jewish neighborhood?

    • Gender Traitor

      Good morning Sean, homey, rhy, Ted’S., Roat, and 4(20)!

    • R C Dean

      That reminds me – I need to look into getting a whole-house generator. So far, we haven’t had problems, but our electric company has been making noises about wildfire hazards that makes me concerned we are going to do the CA-style rolling blackouts/brownouts here in ruralish NM. I have a great layout for a natgas whole-house generator, which is the best way to go about it.

      Unfortunately we’re a little tight on cash after the work on the new casa. Maybe later.

      • Sensei

        Do you have natural gas available?

        Fuel is a true PITA.

      • R C Dean

        Yup. The natgas line and the electric come in at the same place, and there’s a good spot right there to put the generator. I suspect the install will be about as easy as it gets.

      • Sensei

        Code will require to be X feet away from a window so exhaust can’t come into the home.

        They can get around it by preventing the window from opening. If you go that route make sure you can cleanly”undo” the window prevention.

      • R C Dean

        Not a problem. It will be on the far side of the garage.

  24. rhywun

    Oh look, a rogue’s gallery of communist sympathizers wants you to reflect on your sins.

    “Beware of the one-party state,”

    Well, a certain one party. Our one party is going to lead us to utopia.

    • Fourscore

      Yeah, odd that people with no skin in the game want to help you out.

      Good morning, GT

    • Grumbletarian

      A gaggle of millionaires who want to take and spend the money of billionaires.

      Fuck them all.

    • R C Dean

      Hard to say, of course, but I don’t see anything at all that the dead guy did that looks even physically threatening, much less an imminent threat of death or serious harm. I suspect we are looking at another dumbshit who heard about some self-defense shooting and thought it was a get out of jail free card.

      Of course, the dead guy wins a Darwin Award for engaging with someone waving a gun around.

    • rhywun

      Gun violence: An American epidemic?

      With a helpful propaganda vid inserted before the article.

      Stay classy, ABC.