10: Standards for Homes and Buildings

I'm watching HGTV's Holmes on Homes. Maybe some of you have seen it. This guy - Holmes - goes around fixing up homes that other contractors got wrong. There are, as most homeowners know, a lot of contractors getting homes wrong out there.

He's Canadian. He was just in British Columbia and was flabbergasted at what he thought were embarrassingly mediocre building code standards. It reminded me of the FHA's role in my house sale. The buyer was using an FHA-approved-loan. From an individual seller's perspective, what a pain! They had to hit every little standard in the book. But at the end of the day, I'm actually happier that there is a set of standards out there so that people aren't constantly getting the short end of the stick from contractors who want to save some coin at every single corner, rather than getting the job right.  And by the way building standards go well beyond homes. When an earthquake hits California, the loss of life is minimized because of the state, federal, and local regulations for building well. You don't have this elsewhere in the world, particularly in developing countries where the government is underfunded and not very present. Once again, I'm thankful for the role our government plays here.

9: Safety and Security - and Happy Veteran's Day

The most elemental and fundamental of human freedoms - basic physical security of the person. I'm thankful that our country provides that as a fundamental guarantee, and I'm thankful for veterans' role in that effort.

Threats to human security can come from within and from without, and over the years The US Armed Forces has fought many times, not only to deter threats from outside, but also to promote basic freedoms elsewhere. Thank you Veterans. I'm thankful that the United States government includes a strong military that serves at the pleasure of the Chief Executive, who in turn serves at the pleasure of the people.

8: Currency

I'm pretty psyched about the American Dollar. No, I'm not particularly psyched about the dollar in relation to the  value of the Euro or the Pound. But I am glad that we have the dollar. It's a government-regulated, fungible unit of exchange.

I'm glad that, when I want to go to lunch, buy groceries, or go to the movies, I don't need to carry large objects I already own to trade, or promise my labor at that store later. Rather, I can use money - something that positively does not exist without the regulatory measures and currency units provided, in this case, by the US Treasury. 

7: Football Games and the FCC

I enjoyed watching Monday night football this week, when the Steelers topped the Bengals. And I was able to do so with little risk to myself or my sense of right and wrong. That is, American television is generally (yes, generally) regulated in a manner consistent with many Americans' sense of morality, thanks to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). As with food labeling (as a reader and friend pointed out), the FCC is far from perfect, but I'm glad it exists and is doing the work it does.

6: Food Labeling

Interested in leading a healthy life? Appreciate knowing whether you're eating saturated or unsaturated fats? Like knowing whether you're consuming trans-fats? Me too. That's why I'm glad we have Food Labeling courtesy of the Food and Drug Administration.

5: Freedom of Religion

It's the first Sunday of this year-long effort, and therefore the first Sabbath for many people. I'm thankful that Americans are free to worship as they chose to worship or chose not to worship - and that as a constitutional guarantee the state does not interfere in citizens' private-space worship decisions. So we're back to the Bill of Rights, and in this case the First Amendment to the US Constitution:

 Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Once again, it's easy to look around the world and see countless examples of people without the freedom to choose how to understand their own relationship with God. I'm thankful that American Constitutional Guarantees and American Government support citizens' rights to understand the divine and the metaphysical as they see fit.

4: Safety in the Air

There are about 7,000 aircraft in the air over the United States at any given moment. If you're a frequent (or even infrequent) flier, this fact should terrify you. But it doesn't, because of the important government agency that regulates the skies.

I flew a lot for my previous employer - and I like to visit my family members who live many states away as often as I can. I've also flown in many other countries around the world, some with far less well-developed air traffic control regimes (though unfortunately I didn't snap any dirt runway photos to share with you here). I'm therefore extremely thankful for the work of the Federal Aviation Authority, especially since air traffic is expected to triple in the coming decades.

3: Protection against Unreasonable Search and Seizure

I'm pleased as punch that the state, the law, the government can't just stop me, hold me, or search me whenever it strikes someone's fancy. I just got back from a run. I was not detained or questioned along the route. In other words, I experienced the most basic and elemental human freedom, freedom from restraint. I was free to go where I wanted to go and do what I wanted to do. There are many things that support US Citizens' freedom from restraint, but among them is the 4th Amendment to the US Constitution. It sits neatly within the Bill of Rights, a beautiful freedom-enhancing government document if ever there was one. This is a federal government guarantee. In case you haven't visited it recently, the 4th Amendment Reads:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

If you're a US Citizen, have a great day - going where you want and doing what you want to do. Remember your freedom to do so stems from the freedom-enhancing federal traditions our country founded and continues to reinforce.  

2: The Interstate Highway System

Have you tried travelling elsewhere? The Interstate Highway System is nearly 50,000 miles of incredibly efficient, limited-access roadway. It facilitates trade across a continent, travel, and coast-to-coast-right-of-passage driving experiences.

The US Department of Transportation claims it is the largest public works project in history. One thing's for certain, I'm glad my government had the foresight and made the investment to make it happen. It keeps the trucks rolling, keeps the goods moving, and enables the important American Experience of cross-country travel. Let Johnny Cash remind you.

1. The Right to Vote: to be heard and be counted

I'm thankful that I have a voice in shaping and changing the policies that affect my life. Government is necessary to form the structures that allow all of the non-felon adult citizens in the United States of America to vote in regular elections, form opposition parties, and get clear results and new representatives in a matter of hours.

Without the volunteers staffing poling stations, government investments in poling machines, the initial creation of poling locations (schools, government buildings, universities), and neutral government oversight of the whole process, we would not have a democracy. I value the government I have that creates the institutions possible to allow me and my fellow citizens to form and sometimes repeal the rules that dictate our lives.

Because Sometimes Americans Must Remember The Government We Share

About a year ago, as I was working with service organizations and university students in Bolivia, I wrote an editorial for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette called "American Blessings: Thank you for Democracy, Diversity, Safe Water, and Pancakes." At the time I had no idea how the 2010 elections would turn out. I just knew the things that I'd be missing and valuing most as I reflected on Thankfulness and spent Thanksgiving away from home.

Today I'm still thankful for the things I listed there, and I'm thankful for much more. I'm a bit concerned that some of the rhetoric and partisanship has been so barbed in recent elections that we forget we form a whole. We seem to forget we must cooperate together to continue to achieve great things and excel. What do I mean by that? I'm about to share, one thing a day for the upcoming year. It'll be simple. We go nowhere without one another. We need to work with one another and support one another to move forward. We're a community. We're a country. We share much in common.

Please post your thoughts on things we share that you're thankful for, or things our government provides that you appreciate. My first installment in this blog, after this election, will be one of the most elemental activities our government provides the structure for: the right to vote.