Part two of a two part series.

Happy Birthday to the United States of America.

Happy Birthday to the United States Declaration of Independence.

Let us remember too, on this day, the 180th anniversary of the deaths of Presidents Thomas Jefferson and John Adams.

And let’s not forget to say Happy Birthday to the Freedom of Information Act. Enacted 40 years ago on this notable date on which we celebrate our freedoms to speak, drink, and cook hot dogs, The FOIA is designed to open up the U.S. government to scrutiny by the people.

Monday, in a Washington Post Editorial, President Jimmy Carter called for the expansion of the FOIA to encompass all three branches of the federal government (only the Executive Branch is presently subject to FOIA requests) and a sweeping improvement in responsiveness to requests. (OpenTheGovernment.Org has, this week, released a report rating responsiveness improvements made by agencies as per a Presidential mandate from December, 2005. Not suprisingly, they seem to be unimpressed.)

I’m not going to go on much about this because President Carter does a fine job but, I’ll say that I heartily agree. Remember, as you eat your dogs and burgers and watch highly dangerous explosives light up your night sky, your freedoms do not stem from someone monitoring your bank records or listening in on your phone calls. Your freedom stems from the vigilance of individuals who stood up when their government no longer represented the interests of the public at large.

So, now, I’ll leave you with the immortal words of The JB’s,

I’m paying taxes,
So, what am I buying?