Professor Ann Buchholtz contributed to Voice of Orange County article reflecting on The Declaration of Independence

July 4, 1776. The day the United States celebrates sending England’s King George III a legal brief: The Declaration of Independence.

It is a document that to this day inspires freedom-seeking men and women the world over, and instills panic in the hearts of authoritarian regimes.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” begins the second paragraph of the document that formally notified George III he no longer had control over the 13 colonies.

“There are so many countries that aren’t even close to 1776 yet,” noted Bob Stern, a co-author of the law that created California’s Fair Political Practices Commission, or FPPC, which enforces state campaign finance laws.

“We need to celebrate our success.”

But while celebrating, said Ann Buchholtz, research director of the Rutgers University Business School’sInstitute for Ethical Leadership, “we have to be willing, as a great nation, to still look at ourselves and see where we can make improvements.”

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