I again had the honor of reading from the Declaration of Independence before the start of the 4th of July parade in Roland Park.
Yesterday, for the first time, I prefaced Jefferson’s declaration by drawing on the words that others have spoken about freedom and democracy.
“A decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they [the people of the 13 colonies] …should declare the causes which impel them to the separation [from Britain],” wrote Thomas Jefferson in the opening of the Declaration of Independence.
This sacred document has sent forth countless ripples of hope, the evidence of which is especially apparent on this Independence Day.
Those honored dead at Gettsyburg and the cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion;
Those couples for whom their relationship is now equal in the eyes of the law; and
Those who heard Nelson Mandela declare in his Inaugural Address, “Out of the experience of an extraordinary human disaster that lasted too long, must be born a society of which all humanity will be proud. “
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Later in the day poolside, I read about a new Oregon law that would allow students to attend state colleges without paying tuition or taking out traditional loans. Instead, they would commit 3% of their future income for 20 years to repaying the state. Those who earn very little would pay very little.
This could be a major expansion of my work over the years to encourage people to enter public service.
I’ve already passed bills creating programs that encourage students to enter public service by repaying a portion of the educational debt of people who have lower-paying public interest jobs, providing an up-front scholarship to students planning careers in public service, and giving a stipend to students who take public-interest summer jobs.
Before I went to the Dickeyville picnic, I emailed a bill drafting request.
