Personal and government debt have each grown faster than the US population over the past 40 years. Here's an infographic about the growth in average personal debt over time in the United States as well as each American's share of the national debt, which has grown even faster over the same time period:

Throughout history, we remember names like George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, the Marquis deLafayette, Paul Revere and many more.  What we don't know are the names of countless others that laid down their lives for our independence.  They are the ones who's stories are not told... lost in time and forgotten.  They believed in a cause... a new concept that no one was certain would succeed, but still they pressed on.  They survived brutal winters, hot summers, and camp diseases.  They sacrificed everything to be free from tyranny.

After a discussion about July 4th plans, a friend of mine sent over a clip from the new HBO show 'The Newsroom' where Jeff Daniels responds to a student who asks why America is the greatest country in the world. A liberal commentator cites "diversity and opportunity" while a conservative points to "freedom and freedom." After a bit of prodding Jeff Daniels' character unleashes a tirade regarding how great America was and how we have fallen away from what made us great. Watch below. Let us know your thoughts. Regardless of your response, have a great July 4th!

I just love the John Adams HBO miniseries! Happy Fourth of July!

The Declaration of Independence:

http://youtu.be/nrvpZxMfKaU

Thomas Jefferson Takes on Wall Street:

http://youtu.be/UrxKOO0nKwc

John Adams Rejects Unnecessary War:

http://youtu.be/KaWBs46USqE

Partisan Fighting:

http://youtu.be/yg0h_kdwvu4

Independence Day commemorates the Fourth of July, 1776, the date borne on the Declaration of Independence, by which representatives of "the thirteen united States of America" formally announced their irrevocable political separation from the government of Great Britain.