HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY !

(This image of the signing of the Declaration of Independence was painted by Armand-Dumaresq in 1873, and has been hanging in the White House since the late 1980's.)

I want to wish all my readers a safe and happy anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. I hope you all have a great holiday weekend -- filled with fun, food, family, and fireworks. That special day in 1776 deserves to be celebrated.

The United States is not perfect, and we have not yet fulfilled the promise of equality for all of our citizens -- but we are still making progress (sometimes in large strides and sometimes in baby steps). It is up to us to finish the work that was started in 1776 (and forwarded in 1787 with the writing of the Constitution).

As a little bonus on this important holiday, I bring you the chart below. It was made from information in a new Rasmussen Poll, done on June 27th and 28th of a random national sample of 1,000 American adults (with a margin of error of 3 points). The survey shows that only 78% of Americans understand that the July 4th holiday celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence -- while 8% think it celebrates the ratification of the Constitution, and 14% aren't sure what the holiday commemorates.

I think that's rather sad. Shouldn't the percentage be much closer to 100%? After all, this is something taught in all of our schools.