God, bless America.

Seven days ago America celebrated the 234th anniversary of the signing of The Declaration of Independence. No rocket’s red glare. Just fireworks bursting in air.

As for myself, I started the day late, having slept nearly twelve hours before rising about one o’clock in the afternoon. No. I hadn’t had a night of binge drinking. No taking of ‘enhancement’ drugs. It was a day of rest, pure and simple.

Once up, coffee and newspapers filled but a short period of the day. I was disappointed in, not what I read, but what wasn’t there to be read. Neither The Tampa Tribune nor The New York Times delivered to me a recap and up-to-date in-depth analyses of The Recovery Prevention Act of 2010.

The final bill, if passed by the Senate, will be a misnomer. We will never ‘recover’ the billions of taxpayer dollars that have been thrown at the feet of Wall Street investment manipulators with their Gucci shoes and their matching arrogant attitudes. Nor will the bill guarantee us a ‘prevention’ of another bailout meltdown.

By two-thirty, I set in motion a plan to make the evening an enjoyable get-together with a dinner and a movie. Blockbuster came first. It was a quick in-and-out visit as Season Two, Episodes 3 & 4 of ‘True Blood’ had already been chosen.

In a chipper mood, I shopped at Publix to pick out some USDA premium choice New York strip steaks, baking potatoes, sweet corn and salad fixings. At $10.99/pound, and a half-pound per serving, it was to be a beefed-up meal of contentment, which it was.

While in the produce section, there was a disturbance from a woman who had a few choice words with a young man by her side, presumably her son. I don’t know what the argument was about but she did the right thing by walking away. All of a sudden the kid, a very big boy, was in my face kindly inquiring if I was going to pay cash for my purchases. I hadn’t planned on it but he offered me a deal I couldn’t refuse. He would use a food stamp debit card to pay for my food purchases and I’d give him cash, fifty-cents to the dollar.

I’d heard of people getting this same exchange rate but this was my first time reaping the benefits of someone dependent on the entitlement program. After all was said and done, the total food bill was $58. After handing over $30, we were both happy fellows.

The meal was perfect, the steaks grilled to everyone’s delight. The DVD was as enjoyable as expected. The only fireworks we saw were those in the neighborhood. Someone complained about the smell of sulfur to which I countered with comments that questioned, “What did they think was in the air during the Revolution? Rose-scented potpourri? What about the smell of death and the cries of agony from wounded Patriots?” Point made.

‘The Capitol Fourth’ on PBS and ‘Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks’ on NBC were recorded and watched over the next two evenings. The latter was totally commercialized, the former truly spectacular. As I watched, I thought about the trade surplus with China, greenhouse gases and at what cost to taxpayers was ‘The Capitol Fourth’? Regardless, the sense of patriotism, freedom and the expressed appreciation of the men and women who have died to preserve the tenets of The Declaration of Independence made me feel proud to be an American. The afterglow was short-lived.

Just this week the Justice Department filed suit against Arizona’s new immigration law. This highlighted Arizona Governor Janice Brewer’s June 30 announcement of the cancellation of the Sept. 8-10 Border Governors Conference after other member states threatened to boycott the event in protest of the new law. Member states are Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas, not to mention Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Sonora and Tamaulipas.

Also in DOJ news, ‘the right’ has focused attention on Election Day 2008 when two members of the New Black Panther Party for Self Defense intimidated white Philadelphia voters with racial slurs while dressed in militia garb; one wielded a billy-club/nightstick.

After the election, the DOJ filed a suit against the NBPP but it was dismissed on May 15, 2009, citing “the evidence did not support” the case. DOJ attorney J. Christian Adams resigned with allegations that under Attorney General Eric Holder there is a “profound hostility by the Obama Civil Rights Division in the Justice Department towards a race-neutral enforcement of civil rights laws.”

The jobless are still left without unemployment benefits. States remain underfunded for Medicaid. The Gulf of Mexico gusher is still spewing. Nearly half the states have joined the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. We have yet to see how the Senate chokes on the American Clean Energy and Security Act. International affairs have never been worse.

God, bless America.