Freedom and liberty are not free

As we approach Independence Day, I encourage you to reflect for a moment about the cost of living.

I'm not talking about gas prices -- though the price at the pump right now is hitting families in Nebraska and across the country -- or how much it costs to see a movie or buy groceries or purchase a house.

I'm talking about the true cost of living in freedom, the cost of living in a democracy.

The way of life Americans are accustomed to -- our constitutionally guaranteed rights and freedoms -- wasn't free. Let us not forget those patriots who paid with their lives and livelihood to earn our democracy. In the generations since, millions more have paid with their lives.

For many areas of the globe, however, freedom and democracy are ideals not yet realized.

The other day, I did an online search for the terms "crackdown" and "democracy." I had more than 1.7 million hits.

Think about it. How much does it "cost" to live in China, right now? How much does it "cost" to live in North Korea?

Even as I write, crowds are protesting in the streets of Iran. Peaceful demonstrators in the United States are perfectly within their legal rights and protected by the First Amendment. In Iran, however, protestors risk jail, beatings, even their lives for speaking out against their government.

In recent days, members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, militia and other security forces in riot gear have been heavily deployed across Tehran, preventing any gatherings and ordering people to keep moving.

Images of protests being violently broken up and even turning deadly have shocked the world. Diplomats were expelled from the country and reporters were placed under house arrest. Protestors resorted to using online services to give and receive updates as to what was happening on the streets.

The President recently suggested these demonstrations should not become a referendum on America, that we shouldn't be making this about the United States.

I disagree. If there is any country I wish Iran was looking to, it is the United States.

Our country should be held as an example of freedom and democracy to the world. During the confusing days following the first election of President George W. Bush, I was overseas. Nearly everyone I talked to was amazed our country could have such a situation occurring without riots or bloodshed.

I'm proud our nation was founded on the idea that each of us has the freedom and the right to succeed or fail on our own merits.

Unfortunately, there now is a congressional agenda dedicated to imposing Washington bureaucracy into our health care, our businesses -- like auto dealerships -- and our education, and leveling higher taxes on energy.

Time after time, we've seen those who turn to bigger government for all the answers take direct aim at the core ideals on which our nation was founded. For some reason, there are those who don't realize at the heart of every great success story is personal responsibility, not government dependency.

The true cost of living in freedom can be measured in many ways. This Independence Day, let us remember those who paid the ultimate price for our freedoms and those who are risking their lives for democracy denied.