John Stossel, syndicated columnist

Friday is the Fourth of July. What will you celebrate? Freedom from the English monarchy? To me, the Fourth is about freedom, period. When the Founders signed the Declaration of Independence, they put forth a radical idea: Rights don’t come from kings or presidents. They come from being human.

Government’s job is to protect those rights. This idea, a limited government that protects individual rights, turned out to be America’s secret sauce. It made us a freer and richer country than any other in history. Although the Founders didn’t get it all right. We had slavery, Alien and Sedition Acts, the Indian Removal Act, Prohibition, the Patriot Act …

But the framework the Founders set contained tools to fix our wrongs. Americans can speak freely, protest and change bad laws. Today, “Democratic Socialism” is popular with young people. They appear ready to make one of their own the next mayor of New York City.

Why? How can they be so ignorant?

Look around the world. Where would they prefer to live?

The Cato Institute’s Human Freedom Index ranks countries by how well they respect individual freedom. Switzerland, New Zealand and Denmark are ranked at the top. The U.S. ranks 17th. All the high-ranking countries are pretty good places to live. In those countries, people prosper. That means we know what works! Our founders found the formula. Predictable rule of law … plus individual freedom.

When government is limited, people are free to try better things. The Wright brothers didn’t invent a plane because Congress issued a grant. Elon Musk doesn’t build reusable rockets because bureaucrats tell him to (in fact, they get in the way). Most good things happen when government leaves people alone.

NYC’s likely new mayor wants “city-owned grocery stores” that he claims “will reduce overhead andpass on savings to shoppers.” College-educated voters believe this stuff! Even though every time that’s been tried, it failed. Government stores gave you long lines, low quality products, and shortages.

By contrast, supermarkets run by greedy capitalists are often open 24/7. They are well lit, have wide aisles and offer amazingly cheap prices. The quality of what they sell is mostly good. That’s the free market.

Democratic Socialists also say government should give you free college, health care, debt forgiveness … Sounds great. But “free” just means someone else must pay for it. In addition, “free” means less freedom because politicians decide who gets what. The more government decides, the less you decide.

Whenever government grows, freedom shrinks. It’s one reason I’m upset that Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” is said to increase the federal deficit by about $3.3 trillion. That will allow government to get even bigger. It’s up to us to remind our kids and neighbors why this country works … when others failed.

It’s not the flag, the fireworks or the politicians. It’s not handouts from government. It’s the freedom to be left alone. To try things, and try again. It’s the courage to say “no” when someone with a badge or a fancy hat tells you how to live.

What really sets America apart is what the Declaration of Independence says plainly: “All men are created equal … endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.”

“We the People” as is written in the Constitution set limits on government that no bureaucrat should be able to take away. Preserving liberty takes constant vigilance because there’s always a smooth-talking politician promising us something for nothing — if we just hand over a little more of our freedom.

This weekend, as you watch the rockets glare and bombs bursting in air, consider the fireworks a reminder that freedm isn’t granted by government. It’s something that must be protected from government.

That’s what the Fourth of July means to me: the idea that we are free to shape our own lives. When people have that freedom, amazing things happen. Happy Independence Day.

Every Tuesday at JohnStossel.com, Stossel posts a new video about the battle between government and freedom. He is the author of “Give Me a Break: How I Exposed Hucksters, Cheats, and Scam Artists and Became the Scourge of the Liberal Media.”COPYRIGHT 2025 BY JFS PRODUCTIONS INC.