Mayor’s Column July 2, 2026
Rohn Bishop, Mayor of Waupun
Hello Waupun, and Happy Birthday, America!
250 years ago, this very weekend, our forefathers brought forth upon this content a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. 56 men signed the Declaration of Independence; and with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, they mutually pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their honor, to form a more perfect nation. A free nation!
And while they weren’t perfect, and our nation is still far from perfect, I know there’s no other nation I’d rather live in. As Americans, we have the freedom to speak our minds, worship in peace, defend our homes, and protest our elected leaders. All freedoms we take for granted and were unheard of in 1776!
Today, we live in very partisan political times; where everyone is on team blue or team red, but for this weekend we come together to be on team red, white, and blue, because America is an idea, an experiment, and it’s larger than any one person, or political party. Because for two and a half centuries, America has inspired the world by unleashing the energy and induvial genius of mankind that created untold wealth and prosperity.
The cost of our freedom has not been cheap. While our rights are God given, they need to be defended and protected, and by the grace of God our rights have been protected, and expanded to include people of color, women, and millions from all over the world who were looking for a better life. For all our divisions and disagreements, America is still the country that the world looks to for leadership, bravery, and the opportunity for a better life.
In his last speech as President, Ronald Reagan talked about the greatness of America when he said that while a person can move to France, or Turkey, or Japan, you can never become a Frenchmen, a Turk, or Japanese. But anyone, from anywhere, can come here, to America and become an American; and millions have!
Think about a world without the United States. Around the globe, America has liberated millions, only asking for a small piece of land to bury our dead. Without the US, who defeats fascism? Who defeats Imperial Japan? Who defends freedom and defeats the evils of Communism? A philosophy so evil they literally had to build a wall to keep people from fleeing. Who leads the industrial revolutions, the technological revolution, or the medical revolutions that have raised our lifespans and quality of life? Who shows the world what a free people can accomplish, who goes to the moon, and who’d have been the first country with the peaceful transfer of power?
America is a special place, and this is a special weekend. 250 years since 56 men pledged their lives, and their fortunates to break away from the great British Empire, for the belief of freedom and liberty, and that a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, would change not just a continent, but the world.
God Bless America and have a wonderful Independence Day!
Mayor Rohn
