“THESE are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated. Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right (not only to TAX) but “to BIND us in ALL CASES WHATSOEVER” and if being bound in that manner, is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth. Even the expression is impious; for so unlimited a power can belong only to God.”
— The Crisis by Thomas Paine, Dec. 23, 1776
George Washington and his tiny band of remaining soldiers did not shrink nor shirk. On Christmas, it was Victory or Death. (OK, it is a Newt Gingrich turn out the vote commercial from 2011, but the message still.)
How many today are giving up on the concept of liberty and letting the forces of overweening socialism change this nation forever into something the Founders did not intend, but rather feared and warned repeatedly against.
The stakes were life or death in 1776.
Today it is taxation without representation, again, as Congress critters head home after voting for spending that will add still more red to the deficit that our grandchildren will inherit.
Paine concluded:
“Once more we are again collected and collecting; our new army at both ends of the continent is recruiting fast, and we shall be able to open the next campaign with sixty thousand men, well armed and clothed. This is our situation, and who will may know it. By perseverance and fortitude we have the prospect of a glorious issue; by cowardice and submission, the sad choice of a variety of evils — a ravaged country — a depopulated city — habitations without safety, and slavery without hope — our homes turned into barracks and bawdy-houses for Hessians, and a future race to provide for, whose fathers we shall doubt of. Look on this picture and weep over it! and if there yet remains one thoughtless wretch who believes it not, let him suffer it unlamented.”
Lest we forget.
A version was first posted in 2012.
Washington crossing the Delaware.
4TH ST8 
When I think of the great men that founded this country….President G. Washington, VP John Adams, SOS Thomas Jefferson, Treasury Sec Alex Hamilton, et al; and compare them to the current crop of miscreants (going back to at least Reagan….and further back to Ike) I think I’ve been seriously shortchanged!!
Happy New Year, folks! Here comes 2024….
Wow – another great jobs report from Brandon! 216,000 new jobs in December. Unemployment still incredibly low at 3.7%. Wage growth easily outpacing inflation. Just a remarkable performance.
From today’s R-J editorial: “The Heritage Foundation estimated last year that the average American household has lost the equivalent of $7,400 in annual income since Mr. Biden was sworn into office. ‘That is more than a month’s salary for many families and the equivalent of more than a 10 percent pay cut for the median household income,’ EJ Antoni of the think tank told Fox Business, citing higher borrowing costs and lower real wages.” https://www.reviewjournal.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-as-americans-struggle-record-raises-for-federal-workers-2976563/?utm_campaign=widget&utm_medium=topnews&utm_source=opinion&utm_term=EDITORIAL%3A%20As%20Americans%20struggle%2C%20record%20raises%20for%20federal%20workers
Boy, you have to dig pretty deep to find a way to portray 23 straight months of <4% unemployment, more jobs in 2023 than under any year of Trump, inflation at pre-pandemic levels, rising real wages, gas prices down, GDP up, etc., etc., in a negative light, but we can always count on Tom Mitchell to do it — at least if the President is a Democrat. To do so, he relies on odd-sounding analysis by the somewhat less than neutral Heritage Foundation. But, of course, the analysis is not quite reliable. For example, the calculation is based in part on the fact that mortgage rates are higher today than they were in 2023.But that is only relevant if you are currently buying a home. I haven't purchased a home since 2021. How about you? But the Heritage/Mitchell analysis applies the mortgage change to every single American. At the same time, Heritage/Mitchell ignores the fact that higher interest rates have increased the returns on individual investments. (But that would go against the Heritage/Mitchell effort to turn a very good economy into a very bad one, so they choose to ignore it.)
Here is another thing: the Heritage/Mitchell analysis relies on changes in average weekly wages. But that is a terrible metric! During the 2020 recession most of the job losses were concentrated among low wage workers. That had the paradoxical effect of increasing average real wages during that time because the wages of the newly unemployed low wage workers were not being measured. After the economy began to recover under Biden, many of those laid off workers were hired back, skewing the average wage lower.
That is why reputable economists (i.e., those not affiliated with partisan outfits like Heritage) don’t use changes in average weekly wage as a measure of economic well-being.
One last thing: the better measure of economic well-being is real per capita income. At the end of December 2020 real per capita income was $46,790. In December 2023 it was $50,360.
No wonder Heritage/Mitchell chose to ignore it.
Gee, another strong quarter of economic growth from Brandon and his team — 3.3% GDP growth (inflation adjusted) in the 4th quarter of 2023. That’s above pre-pandemic projections, and way above forecasts. Thanks, Brandon!