In order to avoid recognizing Independence Day or the 250th Anniversary of America, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has discontinued the practice of issuing proclamations altogether. I’m not kidding.
The official “Proclamations” page now includes the following disclaimer,
At this time, the office is no longer accepting proclamation requests. We appreciate your interest.
Indeed, the final entry on the page is dated July 3 and honors Ethiopian Independence Day, Nothing has been posted in the more than three weeks since.
The purpose of the program, as stated on the website,
The Governor’s Office issues proclamations recognizing events, activities, and causes that are of significance to a broad group of Minnesotans.
Somehow, the 4th of July doesn’t make the cut. Before discontinuing the program, Walz managed to honor Refugee Day (June 20), Juneteenth (June 19), Pride Month (June), Memorial Day (May 25), MLK Day (January 19) and many lesser and local events in between.
To be fair, after consulting the archives, the Walz Administration does not appear to have been in the habit of honoring July 4 with a formal proclamation. One would have hoped that the 250th Anniversary would have proven an exception to the rule.
Walz posted this on his official X (Twitter) page,
So, nothing to celebrate so far?
This tepid official response could be seen coming from a mile away. Which is why we at the Center of the American Experiment took it upon ourselves to host the closest thing Minnesota will see to an official state recognition of the nation’s 250th birthday.
It was held yesterday on the steps of the state capitol building in St. Paul. It was a great event and we exceeded our expectations for attendance on a day with dire heat emergency weather warnings.
More importantly, it was a necessary event. America’s national government has been around much longer that those of nations considered to be much older: France, Germany, Italy, Russia, China, Japan, etc. It has withstood the test of time. We should celebrate its continued existance.
Late last month, Gallup reported,
American Pride Falls to 25-Year Record Low
And by “25-Year” low Gallup actually means lowest “ever”. The polling company only started asking this question back in 2001. Gallup reports,
Currently, 70% of Republicans, 28% of independents and 14% of Democrats say they are extremely proud to be American.
Count me among the extremely proud.
[Note: an earlier version of this post appeared at Power Line