Egalitarian patriots in 1776, inspired by the democratic commonwealth principles of Common Sense, turned the colonial uprising into a War of Independence and the American Revolution began. Over a quarter of a millennium later, un-American elitism still resists the continuing revolution. Today the struggle for revolutionary American ideals endures in an egalitarian commonwealth movement committed to nonviolence and public consensus.
Our greatest national achievements are the result of Americans coming together. The worst times in our history came when we divided. We have freedom to look in different directions, but to meet each other in the middle we must come from our most distant positions. Any true patriot knows that you cannot love your country if you disregard, oppose, or fear half of its people. Let's counteract the elitist efforts to divide and conquer us.
Taxation without representation is un-American. But to fund their elitist agendas and protect their power, our largest political parties have insisted on unequal representation, or none at all for some places. We know democracy should produce a government most of us approve of. That isn't what we have. Election laws across the country give unfair advantages to unpopular candidates. We can agree our system doesn't work right. Let's fix it.
The single most unifying cause for American independence was the rejection of colonialism. The earliest patriots of the revolution understood that when one place can be ruled by power in another, those holding the power are more tempted to oppress the people of the place where they do not reside. To the greatest reasonable extent, local communities must be free to enact their own laws and tax policies for the benefit of their residents.
Historical monarchs were often intolerant of sincerely held beliefs that differed from their own. Arbitrarily they distributed privilege and punishment, sent their subjects to war, and interfered with trade. When parliaments took their power, factions could blame each other for their acts against the common interest. Our government isn't much different. Instead of taking sides with the accusing parties, let's unite against tyranny and corruption.
Colonialism brought the customary feudal privileges that had let monarchies keep their subjects living in poverty, fealty, or servitude. When a government grants an exclusive privilege below its fair cost, the difference is paid directly or indirectly by the people who don't receive that privilege. And the public gets nothing for the interest we pay on government debt. Let's collect a market price for every privilege, pay our debt, and share the dividends.
Heritage is what is passed from one generation to the next. An elitist interpretation promotes it as an entitlement for some that should exclude others by the happenstance of birth. But a more enlightened perspective recognizes heritage as our duty to leave something better for those who come after us. Our national heritage is not for us to hoard and consume, but to preserve and produce. It is the measure of the value of the American way of life.