With Election Day upon us, it’s time to recall the ideals expressed by Thomas Jefferson in our Declaration of Independence.

The following is a new version of this document, reflecting current threats and urgently calling for candidates to fulfill the promise of America.

When in the course of human events, a people find it necessary to rid themselves of a government that has abandoned sound principles and threatens their liberties, reason requires them to declare their position.

We hold these truths to be certain, that all men possess unalienable rights to life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness.

To protect these rights governments are instituted, deriving their just and limited powers from the consent of the governed; that individuals respect each other’s rights by dealing with one another voluntarily; that using force against a person violates his rights and that it is the sole legitimate purpose of government to ban the initiation of force by retaliating with force against it-through the police and courts to apprehend and punish domestic criminals, the military to defend against foreign invaders and the civil courts to settle disputes among men.

Whenever a government becomes the instrument of coercion it is supposed to protect against, it is the people’s right to replace it.

The history of the government of the United States of America is one of a dangerous growth of powers leading to the ultimate perversion of the government holding the reins and saddling the citizens to do its bidding. To prove this, let facts be submitted.

The government has seized our wealth by taxing salaries, businesses and purchases so that we cannot buy a toothbrush without paying a tribute.

It has transformed a nation of self-supporting individuals into swarms of special interests clamoring for handouts and privileges from the state.

It has appointed itself the master who decides what foods, medicines, products are safe-even mandating how our toilets must flush-bombarding us with bureaucracies to harass us, fine us and violate our freedom to decide for ourselves.

It has crippled businesses, so that if a company is too large, anti-trust laws divide it; if too frugal with employees, labor laws squeeze it for more, while public officials who create no wealth give televised tongue-lashings to companies for not better suiting the politicians’ favored groups.

It has invoked protective tariffs and doled out subsidies-including paying farmers not to produce-giving unfair advantage to some businesses over others.

It has failed to protect the people’s rights, but instead protects snail darters and caribou, pandering to environmentalists who instigate laws to hamper domestic energy production.

It has stifled domestic exploration for oil, enriching oil-producing countries like Iran, whose revenues support savages that plot to annihilate us.

It has imposed oppressive taxes, yet still cannot quench its thirst for more reckless spending, plunging us into debt and potential bankruptcy.

It has seized so much power that scandals in its ranks are rampant.

It has corrupted the morals of the people, who see they can vote themselves the taxpayers’ money, so they abandon personal responsibility to extract more handouts.

It has created a welfare state abroad, squandering billions on foreign aid to feed enemies like North Korea that arm to destroy us.

It has sponsored the corrupt United Nations, which grants dictatorships moral equality with free countries and provides a forum for tyrants to condemn us.

It has failed to protect us from foreign invasion, allowing attacks on us to go unpunished and emboldening our enemies to wreak unprecedented death and destruction on our soil.

It has left us vulnerable to terrorists because of its moral cowardice, appeasement, preoccupation with world approval and perverse concern for our decorum over our victory.

These and other grievances weigh upon us.

By the laws of nature and our Constitution, we declare ourselves free people. We forged a continent not with public aid but with the vision of a better life and the self-reliance to attain it.

We created wealth, progress and achievement on an unprecedented scale. No government fed our pioneers, inspected their wagons, certified their chickens, looted their wealth. No government built the majestic skylines of our cities, the monuments to free minds and free commerce.

The government built the shattered public housing that wounds our towns, a reminder of the failed welfare state.

The time has come to rescue America from this creeping tyranny and restore her shining crown of liberty. To this we pledge our sacred honor.

Genevieve LaGreca is the author of ‘Noble Vision,’ a novel about liberty and a ForeWord magazine Book of the Year Award winner.