On Saturday we celebrated the 239th anniversary of the event that has become known as our nation’s birthday: the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. For a state that has so long proclaimed the importance of its own independent streak, the day should be an important memorial.

And this year particularly it should be a reminder of the most important lesson learned from that declaration: that independence isn’t enough, that a declaration proclaimed to the world rings hollow and commands no respect if not followed by a courageous dedication to the more difficult task of self-governance.

Declaring that we were taking our “separate and equal station” as a full-fledged member of the “powers of the earth” would mean nothing today if we had not struggled mightily and collectively for 239 years to become a nation and play a role in managing the affairs of this planet we share with 7 billion other humans.

To focus our celebration on the declaration made by a justly renowned band of remarkable men 2 1/2 centuries ago is to miss its central point. We should take this occasion to inspire ourselves to, as Lincoln said, rededicate ourselves to the words these men declared – not as a reality we have achieved, but as ideals to which we must continuously aspire.

Reflecting on these ideals is especially important in Maine today because they face a unique challenge: a chief executive who bases his mode of governance on being the embodiment of “the people of Maine” rather than one element of a carefully constructed, constitutionally founded structure involving scores of women and men, each of whom has the right to claim to speak for at least some of Maine’s people.

Indeed, the ultimate justification of our form of government is in the recognition – embodied in a constitutional separation of powers – that the people of Maine and of all United States never speak with one voice. In our form of government – created in large part as a response to the single voice embodied in King George – no one voice can legitimately claim to speak for all the people.

This is the challenge now facing the women and men representing us in Augusta – not how they vote on the myriad bills that come before them, but how they choose to respond to the current threat to their very legitimacy. Will each of them stand up and say, “Mr. Governor, I speak for my portion of the people of Maine with as much authority and as much legitimacy as you”? And will they, as two constitutionally created bodies of government, stand up and say collectively, “Mr. Governor, we speak for all the people of Maine with as much authority and as much legitimacy as you”?

This is the challenge our elected representatives face as they reflect on both the past 239 years of our history and the next three years of our future.

Charles Lawton is chief economist for Planning Decisions Inc. He can be contacted at:

clawton@planningdecisions.com