We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

Those words, from the preamble of the Declaration of Independence, which the Continental Congress formally announced 248 years ago tomorrow, were written by men of courage. The founding fathers knew if they were to establish a government of their own, a system where the people had the power, it would take a fight. Not just any fight, a battle against the most powerful monarchy in the world. In which losing, not only meant death, it meant being labeled a traitor for the remainder of history.

Did the founders create a perfect system? Of course not. Not every person was equal, or free, or counted as a full person. Brother fought against brother 90 years later to help right those wrongs. Yet, through it all, we’ve marched forward as a country, always willing to be self-critical, and using the guiding principles our founding fathers laid out, tweaking where necessary, to create the freest, most spectacular nation the world has seen.

America is still not perfect now. But her imperfection is being used as the excuse to abolish her existence completely. That would be devastating, not just for us as citizens, but for the world. So in honor of our independence, let us highlight some of the ways we have veered astray from the path that led us to be the country we are today.

The border which makes up our nation is being ignored. If you read The Federalist Papers, especially Federalist No. 2 by John Jay, you’ll learn that one of the most important ideas advanced by the founding fathers is the idea that America keeps a cohesive, national identity. This was part of their argument to convince states to ratify the new U.S. Constitution. Over the last two and half centuries, America has become a multicultural melting pot, where different people of many races and religions can come together and achieve miraculous ends. That only works, however, when we agree that our American identity is stronger than that which divides us.

WATCH: The Matt Walsh Show with guest host David Cone

Increasingly, that is not the case. No care whatsoever is being paid to the type of individuals entering and remaining in our country. Now understand, I don’t blame anyone, ever, for having a desire to become American. That’s what’s supposed to happen when you’re the best. People vote with their feet, right? Well, when you leave your home country to come here, that’s the sincerest form of flattery. All of our ancestors did that at some point. But a nation cannot exist when the border that makes said nation what it is, gets ignored with impunity. Add a welfare state on top of it all and this becomes unsustainable. To paraphrase Milton Friedman, you can have open borders or a welfare state, but you can’t have both.

Consider now our national debt — well over $30 trillion. You might as well replace trillion with a made up word, what’s the difference? James Madison, the fourth president and one of the authors of the Constitution, once said, “public debt is a public curse, and in a republican government a greater curse than any.”

Think now about our system of taxation. The mantra that carries us into Independence Day and echoes through the skies as if it were shouted yesterday, “No taxation without representation.” And that was over a 2% tax on a breakfast beverage. What do we have now? We’re taxed when we receive money, when we spend money, when we invest money, when we die with money. I leave a house every morning that is taxed, in a car that is taxed, fueled by gas that is taxed, to go to a company that is taxed, where I get a paycheck that is taxed, on the state level, then on the federal level, all the while playing this withholding game, where the IRS knows how much I owe but makes me guess, then if I’m wrong they can put me in jail. And none of that addresses the biggest tax of all, inflation, which is skyrocketing because the bureaucracy in Washington won’t turn off the printing presses, just to send those dollars, which should be used to better the lives of Americans, overseas. That’s what we put up with. Our great-grandfathers told King George to come get some if he wants a levy on tea, and we’re left with pennies for every buck we make.

How? Inch by inch. None of this happened over night. 248 years is a long time. The first American income tax wasn’t signed into law until 1861, then, more famously, we had the 16th Amendment passed by Congress in 1909 and ratified in 1913.

I could go on and on about the ways we’ve diverged from what the founders wanted: Our military-industrial complex that Eisenhower warned about; Sex trafficking on an industrial scale; abortion on an industrial scale; Godlessness at every turn.

Yes, it’s true our founding fathers had differing points of view on religion, Thomas Jefferson particularly, but, to solidify my point, hear these words of John Adams after the official resolution of congress was adopted:

I am apt to believe that [Independence Day] will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty.

I doubt he could fathom what our children now see on a daily basis.

Here’s a clip from a “Pride Parade” in Los Angeles. And to be clear, this is one of the most sanitized clips I could find. Watch:

What kind of society tolerates this? Well, as of now, ours does. Every corporation and local government, with very few exceptions, supports this.

Despite all of these existential threats, heavy as they may hang on our hearts, we must never lose hope. We have marched together through much worse. But it does take work. We can not do the bare minimum, we can not turn a blind eye to the perils of our nation, and just expect that Star-Spangled Banner to wave in perpetuity.

So here are my suggestions for how to right the ship, so that America can celebrate another birthday, 248 years from now.

First: Vote. Vote for better leaders. The vast majority of our ancestors had no say in the people who ruled them. We do, yet roughly a third of Americans don’t let their voice be heard. We can complain ad nauseam about a two-party system, or that all politicians are the same, but we can change that. Inform yourself, read, and don’t just read about current candidates and policies. Read about American history. Read the Federalist Papers, the Constitution, understand what it took for us to have what we have.

Second: Prioritize family. The nuclear family. Form stable relationships. Get married and have kids. I will never understand how we arrived at a place in society where having a family is considered “white patriarchal supremacy,” or whatever leftists phrase is being used today, but I do understand that the goal of such phrases is to destroy this country, because those who state it understand how essential the family is for America.

Third: We must incentivize actions of good and deter those of bad. Yes, this seems overly-general, but I think about it every day. We have turned, upside down, every notion of what is good, and just, and beautiful. We have ignored, even sanctioned, misconduct to the point it is commonplace. There is a reason major cities across this nation are too unsafe to live in right now. That’s a byproduct of criminals not being punished for crimes. I’m not saying we need to bring back drawing and quartering, I’m just saying … we may need to bring back drawing and quartering. I have little doubt it would be effective.

We also must remember the purpose of education. The goal is not to write A+ on every kid’s paper, it’s not to spare feelings when a child is suited for something different than his peers. The purpose is not to fill college classrooms to max capacity, or to print as many diplomas as possible. It’s not to indoctrinate children with confusion to appease the sexual fetishes of misguided adults. If we’re to indoctrinate, let us do so with the words of Thomas Paine and Thomas Sowell. The lone purpose of education is to pass down the most essential knowledge, so that future generations may carry this country forward.

Lastly, especially in the age of social media, we must cherish our local communities, not merely live in them. Get outside, touch grass, help a neighbor, shop local. Live in such a way, that if the luxuries provided by the global establishment were to vanish today, you wouldn’t miss a beat. You would still be a leader, those closest to you can depend on.

This Fourth of July, as you celebrate with friends and family, remember the words of Will Durant, “A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within.”