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.