Sen. PHILLIP WHEELER: Independence Day is about more than fireworks and backyard barbecues

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This Independence Day, we honor the country our Founding Fathers brought to life: one grounded in the belief that liberty, justice, and self-determination are worth fighting for. Their declaration was more than a rejection of a distant crown. It was a declaration of a new way of governing, where power rests with the people.

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As we gather with family and friends, we celebrate not just the founders, but the lasting strength of the country they built. Still standing, still striving, and still guided by the ideals that lit the path to freedom, it’s what built the American dream and it’s what fuels the spirit of Kentucky communities every single day.

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We see it in the young families working hard to give their children more than they had, in the small business owners who take risks and create jobs, and in the service members and veterans who continue to protect the freedoms we hold dear. These quiet, determined, and hopeful, everyday efforts are what truly define our country.

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The American dream has never promised perfection. What it promises is the freedom to try, to grow, and to build something better. It’s a promise rooted in the belief that our future is not fixed. Our future is forged by each generation, one decision at a time.

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Here in Kentucky, we carry that responsibility with pride. From the historic grounds of Camp Taylor to today’s missions at Fort Campbell and Fort Knox, our commonwealth has always stood in defense of that promise. Honoring that legacy means more than looking back; it means living up to the values we celebrate this time each year.

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So as flags fly and families gather this Independence Day, take a moment to remember what the red, white, and blue truly celebrates: a nation that’s still standing, a dream that’s still alive, and people, right here in Kentucky and across this country, who still believe in the promise of America.

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