I hear your frustration, and I always appreciate the honesty you bring to your posts. The thoughtfulness, as well. The fishing example is a startling one, but true. So much regulation crushes whatever freedom might have been there before... however, they can't take away the enjoyment of sitting by the lake, listening to the water lap on the shore.

we have failed as the country we started out to be and no one seems to notice or care.

I think many people notice and care. Obviously you are one of them. I have mixed feelings about celebrating July 4th (or Canada Day, since I'm up north now), because of the history of the country. I can't say I'm proud of it, that's for sure. However, I appreciate the act of celebration for the sake of having fun. I think we need that. I also think we need to be much more aware of what we're pretending to celebrate.

Fabulous post, as always.