LEGISLATIVE COLUMN

LEGISLATIVE
COLUMN
By State
Representative Mike Harmon

Fight Continues to Protect Our
Individual Freedoms As We Celebrate
Independence Day

FRANKFORT,
Ky. (June 28, 2013)–“We
hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” – Thomas Jefferson

As we prepare for Independence Day, we should stop, pause, and
look back to the original documents of our history. For many years we have been taught that the Declaration of Independence was drafted because of ‘taxation without
representation,’ and that was a small part of it. If we review the actual document we find that this issue was only one of twenty-seven grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence. Eleven addressed the abuse of representative powers; seven the abuse of military powers; four the abuse of judicial powers; and two the stirring up of domestic insurrection. (For a full review of many historical documents go to wallbuilders.com)

On July 4, 1776, the members of the First Continental Congress set
into motion the establishment of a free nation, a government for the people, by the people. Since that time we’ve seen
our great nation rise as a beacon of hope and freedom for those in our own country and around the world.

President
Abraham Lincoln pushed for passage of the Emancipation Proclamation, setting the wheels in motion to grant rights and freedoms to an entire race that had been persecuted. It was a fight carried on by people like Martin Luther King, Jr., whose push in the South helped the Civil Rights Act of 1964 become law.
Susan
B. Anthony fought for years as an American citizen, and through an organization she co-founded, the National Woman Suffrage Association, to afford women the same right as men to have their voices heard. Anthony was even arrested and tried by the federal government in 1872 because she had voted in that year’s election. Her trial and subsequent work eventually led to passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in 1920.
Lincoln,
King and Anthony are three examples of how Americans, both well known and not so known, have worked and sacrificed to make sure the freedoms our forefathers spelled out in the Declaration of Independence remain strong and true for everyone.

Recently
there have headlines spelling out allegations of infringements by the federal government by agencies like the Internal Revenue Service and the National Security Agency. Like Lincoln and Anthony before us, it is essential those in positions of leadership and citizens join together to make sure our freedoms are
protected from the overreach of those who seek to take them away. It is proof positive as we celebrate this Independence Day that the fight for our rights and freedoms must go on and we must ever be mindful of the concerns of our Founders to preserve this special nation.

I welcome your comments and concerns on any issues
throughout the year impacting our Commonwealth. I can be reached through the toll-free message line in Frankfort at 1-800-372-7181, or you can contact me via e-mail at mike.harmon@lrc.ky.gov. You
can keep track of committee meetings and potential legislation through the Kentucky Legislature Home Page at www.lrc.ky.gov.
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