07/04/2026
Some July 4th, 250 musings from the woodford lp treasurer...
As a history minor who specialized in early American history, I've been looking for the right way to mark our country's 250th birthday.
To me, America is still a land of stories.
It's my grandfather volunteering to fight in World War II after the attack on Pearl Harbor. It's my other grandfather spending 30 years building tractors and retiring comfortably thanks to the company stock he believed in. It's my grandmother graduating as the valedictorian of her college class in the 1940s.
America remains a place of great risk and great reward. Time and again, we see people in business, music, sports, and Hollywood take extraordinary chances. Some achieve incredible success, while others experience spectacular failure. That willingness to pursue opportunity—even with no guarantee of success—is part of what has long made America unique.
This year, it's also been wonderful to watch videos of World Cup visitors enjoying the restaurants, small businesses, and traditions that have become part of American culture. Seeing our country through the eyes of visitors is a reminder of what makes it special.
That doesn't mean the "great experiment" is without its challenges. It often feels as though too many elected officials are willing to compromise their principles to protect powerful interests rather than the ideals that inspired our nation's founding. I believe America's story will continue to be one of citizens defending, debating, and redefining the rights and freedoms our founders sought to protect in the Bill of Rights.
My hope for everyone reading this is that you experience the opportunities this country can offer, weather the setbacks that inevitably come, and find success without too many hard lessons along the way.
Happy 250th birthday, America.
