It’s been 244 years since the course of human events directed a group of American statesmen to declare their independence, based upon self-evident truths and individuals’ God-given natural rights. The Declaration of Independence, signed July 4, 1776, marked a shift in the political history of humankind. Until that point, nation states came into being through accident of geography and unbridled right of conquest.

The Thirteen Colonies, however made a conscious decision to unite under enlightenment ideals, filtered through the Christian preachers and pulpits of the day. This was a critical difference between the enlightenment in America, which ended in liberty, and the enlightenment in France, which ended in the guillotine. In the process, the Founding Fathers laid the foundations of liberal governments throughout the world. In the American Enlightenment, intellectual speculation for learned scholars became instead a revolution embraced by people of all backgrounds, stations, and faiths. Never had a government acknowledged the natural rights of all individuals.

This year, Memorial Day comes with many caveats and asterisks. Much of the country will welcome the unofficial start of summer with stay-at-home orders still in place, necessitating the cancellation or reduction of community observances and gatherings.

While this Memorial Day will differ from Memorial Days of years past, I’m confident that the essence of the day—gratitude—will remain front and center for Americans across the country.

If you want a preview of Democrats’ agenda should they gain more political power this fall, look no further than coronavirus legislation that Nancy Pelosi released last month. That bill includes an array of liberal spending provisions out of sync with the American people’s priorities — including taxpayer funding of plans that cover abortion.

One costly provision in Democrats’ 1,404-page monstrosity would significantly expand the Obamacare insurance subsidy system. These provisions, which Pelosi wants to enact under the guise of the coronavirus emergency, would raise federal spending on these insurance subsidies in perpetuity — without attempting to pay for this new spending.

Unless Congress comes to an agreement by the end of this week, three provisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) will expire. Some may recall that last December, Inspector General Michael Horowitz identified numerous abuses of the surveillance law that the FBI famously used to monitor a member of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016. Today, it seems that Congress is about to settle for an underwhelming deal that pays lip service to reform while upholding a broken status quo.