OPINION: It's time to honor the early patriots by following their example

This Independence Day, I find myself thinking not of July 4, 1776, but of the events that led to that July Fourth. Specifically Dec. 16, 1773.

That was the day that 200 patriots defied the British crown by dumping three shiploads of tea into Boston harbor. This was done in reponse to the British granting what amounted to a subsidized monopoly on tea imports to the East India Company.

These men risked their personal security, property and eventually their lives in what would lead to the independece we celebrate on July Fourth.

Flash forward to July 4, 2015, and the Sons of Liberty have somehow transformed into the spawn of tyranny. Through Obamacare’s individual mandate, all three branches of our government have given what amounts to a subsidized monopoly on health care to the insurance companies. What’s worse, by stating that failure to buy health insurance is an act of commerce and eligible to be taxed, the federal government has set the precedent to regulate and control almost every aspect of our lives.

Remember that even the colonists had the choice to not buy tea. For this reason I will not comply with the individual mandate and I encourage fellow conservatives to do the same. It will mean sacrificing financial security, but when previous generations have sacrificed so much more for the sake of liberty, how can we do any less? —Neil Creighton, Kalispell