Letter to the Editor

The foundation and justification for our American way of self-government was put into words by a handful of men in the Declaration of Independence. The first and the most famous words in that document are “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”. “Self-evident” means that something is so obvious that it doesn’t need to be explained. It may have been that obvious to those who wrote the Declaration of Independence and today to those who believe those words, but ever since then, there are those who find an exception to them and have argued over them. Questioning to whom, how and when “created equal” applies and if there is or is not a Creator and if, when and to whom those unalienable Rights apply. So much for “Self-evident”, but despite the disagreement on the details of its meaning, the majority in the U.S. still agree with the right of self-government, individual rights and the limits on government. However, today something is crumbling.

There is a general disregard for our laws and a gradual decline and more selective enforcement of our laws. That decline is reflected in a disregard of traffic laws; a disrespect for public areas and throwing trash on streets and in public parks and walkways; government officials who misuse their authority to selectively benefit friends and harass their enemies; make laws, ordinances, and procedures that selectively benefit groups and friends; design procedures and requests for quotes and bids so that they are rigged through wording, specific specification requirements and in the selection procedure itself or in hidden requirements. There are laws that prohibit discrimination by race, creed, etc. yet, some of the cities around southern Wisconsin in Lake Geneva area appear to by their numbers be heavily segregated by those same categories.  It has been a long and slow march towards achieving the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence but despite progress in some areas, today even fewer people believe and accept all the truths in that first sentence and can truly say “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”

Are you one of the few who truly believe those words? 

Terry O’Neill, Lake Geneva resident and former Lake Geneva alderperson

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