How to explain what happened?

Most years I work during the Fourth of July fireworks. This year I did not. Did my wife and I want to stay up to watch a symbol of our independence and freedom as a nation? We decided to go home before the festivities began. I have always gotten tears in my eyes and a tight feeling in my throat and stood a little taller during Fourth of July celebrations. We have so much to be thankful for and so much to be proud of as a nation.

This year I had tears in my eyes and a tight feeling in my throat for a different reason. I would someday have to explain to our grandkids how this country got in such a mess. They might ask, "Grandpa, why did you start a business if you knew the government was going to take most of your money? Isn't that stealing?" Or, "Why did we cut our missile defense system when so many countries wanted to shoot missiles at us?"

And then I would tell them how we used to have the best health-care system in the world, but it wasn't any better than average now, and people were dying at younger ages for the first time in decades. Then would I dare show them one of my old rusty guns, or would that be too risky?

I don't know why anyone thought this country was broken, and I sure don't like how they're trying to fix it.

BOB HILL Jr., Cape Girardeau