4 Freedoms to Be Thankful for This 4th of July

Freedom to form and join a union.

We are thankful for our freedom to join together with our coworkers to form a union to improve our lives. Unions touch everyone in this country whether you are a union member or not. Unions, for example, led the fight to establish the eight-hour work day, end child labor, and legislate workplace safety requirements. Unions have been instrumental in securing major labor and benefits laws such as Social Security, Medicare, unemployment insurance, and minimum wages. Unions also provide checks and balances against tyranny in the workplace.

If you haven’t joined a union, join us today and help protect our freedom to assemble for petition of grievances.

Freedom to breathe clean air and enjoy nature.

We are able to breathe the fresh, clean air of liberty – literally, thanks to the Environmental Protection Agency. As our country has evolved and our population has grown, the job of the EPA is even more important. The EPA makes sure that the air we breathe, the rivers we swim in, and the land we build our houses on are safe and free from pollution. And thanks to the National Park Service which protects and maintains our national parks and monuments, we’ll be able to enjoy Yellowstone, Shenandoah, Great Smoky Mountains, and other national parks for generations to come.

Freedom to live and prosper in safety.

Safe communities don’t just happen; we create and maintain them. Air travelers are safer today than before, thanks to TSA. Because of the Bureau of Prisons, the most dangerous criminals are kept behind bars and off the streets. Thanks to the Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, drug and human traffickers are stopped at our borders and shores. The Defense Department protects all of us against aggressive forces outside our borders. America prospers when we can raise families, go to work, and build a life for ourselves knowing that those who protect and serve are on watch.

Freedom to lead a healthy life.

If you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything. Thanks to the Department of Health and Human Services which funds all kinds of research to find cures to diseases, Americans now live longer – 25 years to be exact – and enjoy a healthier life. One of the most important public health achievements of the 20th century was a decline in death rates from heart disease and stroke, which account for 40% of all deaths, due to development of prevention interventions and improvements in therapy. HHS is not the only government agency that helps improve public health. The Department of Veterans Affairs has also played a major role, not only for veterans but for everyone in the country and around the globe. The VA, for example, successfully implanted the first cardiac pacemaker developed by a VA team. A VA doctor performed the first long-term successful kidney transplant and conducted the first human liver transplant. Even more, Defense Health Agency employees tend to our active duty servicemembers are the world each and every day.