Happy 250th, USA: Local Vigilance is the True Guardrail of Our Democracy

The Bradenton Times wishes a Happy Birthday to the United States of America; we have had some trying years to get us to be 250 years young. What started out as an uprising by an audacious few against one of the world's most powerful countries became a model for democracy. It was not an easy journey to independence, and by all accounts, we should have lost. It was the remarkable endurance and dedication of those who refused to give up and fought for the greater good. They are the real heroes we need to honor today. Because of their sacrifices, we have changed the world!

Our nation’s fingerprints are all over the world; from the moment we signed the Declaration of Independence to the most recent human flight to the moon, we, as a country, have done the impossible. While we seem to be divided by hyped-up news, most of us are not divided and actually share a common goal of stability, peace, and a better way of life. How we get there, we can debate, but there is no doubt we accomplish so much as a country even today as people try to tear us apart. 

For example, as I walk on the beach, I don’t see anyone caring which political party a person belongs to. We have people volunteering to find turtle nests, protect them, and educate our community about turtles. You have the beachwalkers picking up garbage as they walk the beach. There are businesses of all types. Some put up tents early in the morning; some sell ice cream; fishing guides find their clients fish to catch; lifeguards keep us safe; and restaurants serve some amazing food. We really should embrace the reality that we live in a safe country, where harmony exists for many of us, and, most of all, we enjoy freedom. 

We all have a right in this country to opine; we can raise our voices if we think taxes are too high, that the government is not doing enough or doing too much, and even that our Country should have no King. Differences of opinion are needed to develop fair policies. When one opinion dominates, it usually does not end well for a country, and it is certainly not what democracy is all about.  However, there are guardrails on speech, and while speech is usually protected, there are times when it is harmful, and the people who cause that harm should be held accountable. As citizens of this great country, we must not only protect our freedoms but also ensure we don’t cause harm to one's livelihood or reputation by what we say verbally or through electronic means.

For the most part, our country seeks a balance and applies the Constitution as a guiding principle. Some judges can look at the same language of the Constitution or even our statutes and see things differently. We should avoid labeling judges and instead respect that they do the best they can with the facts as they see them. Do they have biases? Of course they do, just like you and me. Our biases are not a bad thing; they allow us to develop positions and sometimes change those positions based on new information. 

Our biases are also why California is different from Florida, and is exactly what the founding fathers had in mind when our nation was created. It was not to force California to be like Florida, or vice versa; it was to allow the States the freedom to govern without the top-down Federal Government dictating rules that were unacceptable to the people within that state. 

Currently, the Federal Government is trying to impose a federal standard for elections, even though the Constitution largely reserves the administration and methods of voting to the states. It is the overreach of the federal government that will ruin our democracy if we are not vigilant. We live in this country under the policies and protection afforded by the Constitution. Change the Constitution, but don’t use an executive order or an illegal act of Congress to diminish what they need to follow. Our Constitution is the gold standard for the world, and recent actions have not only shaken the confidence of our citizens but others throughout the world. We can’t afford to be wrong or act irrationally.

If we really do not like something in our country, there is a way to change our laws or even the Constitution. I was in Savannah, Georgia last year and visited the Prohibition Museum. My expectations were not high, but the museum offered a glimpse of the past that we could learn from. Prohibition really was a remarkable time in our country. The Christians used their influence to bring attention to our elected leaders about how bad alcohol was for society. So we amended the Constitution, which is really challenging to do, and prohibited alcohol consumption. That led to illegal rum runners, corruption, and speakeasy operations in hidden locations. It appeared that while we had a law, it soon was evident that the people now thought it was a really bad idea to have the Constitution prohibit us from consuming alcohol. So the hard work of changing the Constitution had to be done again, and Prohibition was repealed. I’ll drink to that!

There are many examples of changes in our Constitution over the last 250 years. From women having the right to vote to not allowing slavery. There was also a civil war that tested the will of our country. In the end, we resolved to be united, not divided. Yes, there are still some who, to this day, celebrate the Confederacy, and it is their right to do so. It is sobering to reflect that just over 60 years ago, Black Americans were still being lynched, their homes burned, and entire communities destroyed. What was tolerated by the legal and social systems of that era is justly intolerable today. I bring this up to reflect that we are a changing country, and, for the most part, the change has provided more freedom and protection to all of us, regardless of our skin color or where we came from.  

Today we are challenged once again. The majority of the country is not supportive of our President, especially his war he started with Iran, and his shielding of the Epstein files, to name just a few things. It proves we are not as divided as some claim. We, as a country, need to focus more on what unites us rather than the division generated by those in power who are too often corrupt. Just like the beach sands are ever-changing the shoreline, our country also changes. Most people want to do a good job, see peace in the world, and act responsibly. It is not the people that are the problem; it is the political leaders. So if you don’t like what you see in your government, get involved.  

I spent 4 years in the United States Marine Corps, joining when I was just 17. I later purchased my father’s air-conditioning business with a second mortgage, paying 18 percent interest. I decided to run for office one day when I went in for an air conditioning permit at Manatee County and saw the lack of business professionalism. I was 30, lost the race in 1988, came back in 1990 and won, and was sworn into office at 33. I served 22 years as a Republican, and my opposition came from the same greedy developers that dominate our politics today. Developers finally gained the ability to control election outcomes when the Supreme Court ruled in “Citizens United vs. the FEC.” It allowed PACs to receive and spend unlimited amounts of money. Developers bought the election in 2012, and they finally were successful in defeating me. 

But the 2024 elections proved something important: informed citizens can still defeat political machines. Voters in Manatee County rejected the idea that slick mailers, attack ads, and political consultants should decide our future. Millions were spent trying to persuade voters that certain candidates were the right choice for offices that require competence, independence, and public trust. But voters looked beyond those attack ads, questioning both the messaging and who was behind it. They considered the record. They acted.

That is democracy at work. The same lesson applies now. This 2026 election cycle is just as important. Do not vote based on glossy campaign mailers, robocalls, staged photos, or slogans designed to manipulate fear. Educate yourself. Read. Ask questions. Look at records, not rhetoric. The Bradenton Times will continue doing its part. We investigate, report, and opine because local democracy depends on fact-driven journalism. We publish government news because voters deserve to know what is happening before decisions are made, not after the damage is done.

That mission has made us a target.

The Bradenton Times, Mitch Maley, and I have been attacked because we report and publish opinions about local government and political power. The local Republican Party turmoil, the state party’s intervention in Manatee County, and subsequent attacks on this publication are part of a larger problem: when political organizations stop welcoming debate and start trying to silence criticism, democracy suffers.

In my view, the attacks on this publication were not about protecting voters. They were about punishing independent journalism and discouraging scrutiny. We cannot allow that to be normalized. Others have also tried to silence us through litigation and intimidation. Kevin Van Ostenbridge and Anthony Pedicini sued us for linking to what we considered a newsworthy series of publicly available political videos, called the RealKVO. We removed the links to avoid unnecessary liability, but the larger issue remains: powerful people should not be able to chill local reporting simply because they dislike criticism.

Democracy will survive only if local news organizations can survive. That depends not just on journalists, but on citizens who value the work enough to support it. If you are not already an active subscriber, please consider investing $7 a month to help maintain local journalism and local democracy.

Real news is more important than ever. If America is going to make it another 250 years, we need more news sources willing to publish facts, ask hard questions, and withstand the attacks that inevitably come from those who benefit when citizens are kept in the dark.

Happy 250th, America.

Now let’s do the work required to keep the republic.

Joe McClash is the publisher of The Bradenton Times. He is a Marine Corps veteran and served on the Manatee County Commission from 1990 to 2012.