Celebrating The Fourth Of July

We have a lot to celebrate on the Fourth of July, but if you needed one more reason to celebrate, it was right there in The New York Times in a dispatch from London.

The Times says that Prince Charles has been getting so much criticism for being a spoiled eccentric who presides over a corrupt household that for the first time ever he released a detailed financial statement to show people what they were getting for their money.

Well, the boy's done well: $17 million last year, from lands and businesses that come with his title, plus another $5 million from the taxpayers, some of which pays the salary of the servant who puts toothpaste on his toothbrush. The statement also lists what the prince does: public appearances, answering letters and such.

What it really seems to come down to is that he provides people with an ongoing soap opera, waves and smiles on holidays, and if they need him, they will get a handshake, if he extends his hand first. Otherwise, please don't touch.

So why is that cause for me to celebrate? Just because he's their prince, and not ours. It is no news to say that most of the world has come to believe kings and princes are unnecessary, if not downright silly. But those remarkable people who founded our country, figured it out first and their idea changed the world. If they had done nothing else, that's enough.

When I read about Prince Charles, it's always the Fourth of July for me.