Howard I. Schwartz Ph.D.

I am grateful to government
For air and water that is cleaner
than it otherwise would have been,
For the roads that I drive on,
and the safety belts in my car,
For regulations that limit child labor
and that outlaw sex and race discrimination,
For knowing that most of the food
I put in my mouth contains
only the ingredients listed on the
package, except maybe GMO and
salmonella,
For the beautiful state and national parks
that I and my children
enjoy, only wish we protected more
of them, around the world,
For allowing my great grandparents
to immigrate to this country
and create the wonderful life
I, my daughter, and cousins
have here today,
lucky they came a hundred years ago,
and didn’t need to pass through Ellis Island
or Mexico now on their way.
For creating technologies
that make life better
such as the Internet,
yeah, I know it came from
defense spending and research,
For investing in medical
research through institutions
like NIH, though I wish
we were less afraid
of stem cell studies,
my dad died of prostate cancer
and my mom from Parkinsons,
For the NEA investment in the arts,
since artists, musicians and writers
remind us of our humanity,
we should remember that too
when we fund our children’s school,
I am grateful too,
For regulations of commerce
that make contracts
reliable and secure
and allow businesses to flourish;
we could use still more of them
to hold corporations accountable,
but without regulations, markets
wouldn’t exist or thrive.
For labor laws that try
to protect those who are
less powerful and have
less wealth, too many
people still work in unsafe conditions,
For anti-slavery and anti-monopoly
laws,
that realize markets are
not always good on their own and
by themselves,
if only we could get
businesses to pay
for their real and total impact on
the environment, carbon
cap and trade comes to mind.
For a safety net
that my great grandparents
never had back in Russia,
or here in the 1920s,
though ours is a bit torn
and tattered lately,
like the American flag
that flew over Fort
McHenry,
O say can you see,
I am grateful
For the lovely
democratic, political
process that lets
my vote count,
whoops, I forgot
about corporations
having as many or more rights than me,
I am grateful too
For the protection of rights,
such as speech, religion,
and of Jews,
then women, civil and
the gays,
I know the work’s not done
yet, the gap between the haves
and havenots is still too big,
and getting bigger.
For search and seizure laws,
and trial by juries,
and the Fourteenth
Amendment, because
States sometimes
abuse the rights
of those they govern, who knew?,
but not for the
Second Amendment,
which the Supreme
Court apparently misunderstands,
to protect my right
to pack a gun,
and even open carry.
Courts are fallible too,
just think
of Dred Scott, and
read the minority opinion
in DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
v. HELLER 582,
For liberty and justice
for all, at least
as aspiration,
even though not yet in fact,
For the police, when
they behave, and ensure
my rights are sacred,
I love my fellow man,
and woman, but
am really glad there is law
to keep the bullies and crazies
in line, at least some of the time,
I am grateful too,
For the protection of my
property,
and even taxes too,
because I have
a debt to society,
and to the past,
and to pay for
what we build and
benefit from together.
It is good to be
reminded of how
great my life is
living under the banner
of liberty, and government,
and how many people
do not yet have
the same benefits
like me.

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