On this day the 21st anniversary of my birth.

Today is my 21^st Birthday.  Rest assured I shall take advantage of my newly acquired 21-year-old status by hitting the bars in Boston, but I’d like to spend the rest of this blog post talking about something else. 

This is also the 796^th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta (Great Charter), designated with the official seal of King John of England on June 15, 1215.  This occasion marked the first time the people of England were able to impose limits on the King’s absolute authority, and proved to be a milestone on the way to establishing the rule of law over the rule of man throughout the world.

We’ve come a long way in those nearly 800 years, but our work is not yet done.  As I write this blog post, small groups of elites continue their assault on the middle class in America, with little respect for the sanctity of our institutions or the rights of the people.  Our elected officials seem to view tax cuts for millionaires as a higher priority than collective bargaining rights or protecting benefits like Medicare and Social Security, benefits that the workers who form the backbone of our country have spent their lives paying for.  Last time I checked the American middle class didn’t cause the financial crisis, and they are not responsible for our nearly $15 trillion national debt.

Back in 1215, King John had to answer to the people for his abuses of power.  796 years later, it’s time for our leaders to answer for their abuses.  The era of our leaders cutting their own taxes and raising their own pay at the expense of the middle class must come to an end.