The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

As a child, I loved the 4th of July. Between family barbecues to my parents having time off to spend with my brother and I, to of course, fireworks, the 4th of July was my favorite holiday outside of Halloween and Christmas. As is often the case, however, the more I've aged, the more my viewpoints about the major holidays have changed, none more so than the 4th of July or Independence Day. Over the past 5 to 10 years, I've noticed an increasing number of children and pets being frightened by the loud sounds of fireworks. Not only that, I've grown bored of the repetitive nature of fireworks displays. Honestly, if you've seen one, you've pretty much seen them all. Worst of all, though, is a question which constantly rings in my mind all throughout these holiday festivities: "What does Independence Day truly mean anymore?" On July 4th, 300 million+ Americans celebrate their independence. But what about illegal immigrants and DREAMers who could be deported...

As I've written about previously, while I disagree with GOP front-runner Donald Trump 99% of the time, I do agree with him that the election system is severely flawed, if not outright rigged. That's not all that's rigged in this country, though. As Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren has stated on multiple occasions, the economy is rigged. The wealthiest individuals can afford to hire accountants to find tax loopholes in order to pay less on tax day. Some can even go so far as to not pay any federal income taxes. If in any legal trouble, these same individuals can buy the best legal help in order to get the best deal possible. Not only that, but to start it all, odds have it they were born into a wealthy family and afforded some of the best education in the country. As Senator Warren said earlier this year: "There are two legal systems, one for the rich and powerful, and one for everyone else. It's not equal justice when a kid gets thrown in jail for stealin...