We’ve just passed another of those national holidays that commemorates the founding and political traditions of the United States. Parades, fireworks and cookouts seem to be the dominant forms of celebration, although fundamental misunderstandings as well as frequent misrepresentations of the early history are also prevalent.

You can pick out opinions and quotes from attendees at the gathering that wrote the Declaration of Independence to support any political position you favor. The reality, however, is that signers of that document were not opposed to either government or taxation. They did have strong views about the necessary limitations on governmental power, on the importance of representation and on the “inalienable” rights of all people, although they didn’t in practice always live up to those ideals.

In the aftermath of that first Fourth of July, the government created under the Articles of Confederation failed miserably. The Constitution that was written in 1787 and has lasted up to today significantly strengthened the powers of the federal government, because the founders believed that was essential to achieving stability and economic growth as well as to ensuring a democracy.

Today, we are facing a threat to effective governance every bit as serious as the one that confronted the country in the 1780s. That so much of the public debate is couched in references to historical events such as the Boston Tea Party reflects a political tactic rather than a return to the country’s political origins.

Let’s start with the lemmings who have signed on to Grover Norquist’s “no taxation” pledge. You are probably more familiar with the other name that they go by, the Republican Party. It’s hard to know which is worse, their dishonesty or their total lack of responsibility. To argue that no taxes should ever be considered is tantamount to asserting that there are no important or legitimate functions of government. That is a truly revolutionary concept, and one that you certainly couldn’t get a large proportion of American citizens to endorse.

Unfortunately, the real motivation is more perverse than that. Greed and selfishness rather than opposition to everything governmental is what is really driving today’s hyper fiscal conservatives and tea party extremists. They are happy with the benefits that they derive from government, but oppose programs that have beneficiaries other than themselves.

Facts might get in the way of their posturing if they were willing to acknowledge them. The tax rate in this country is at its lowest in decades. Toss in that the richest in this country account for a greater proportion of income and wealth than they ever have had in modern times, and you have overwhelming evidence of that ultimate motivation.

And now you have a political faction in Washington that demonstrates no concern for the common good or for any interests other than those who provide them with campaign contributions. In their absolute opposition to even a discussion about taxes as part of a solution to the budget deficit, they are playing chicken with the possibility of a U.S. government default and an economic downturn that could make the last one look mild.

That attitude has characterized the political posturing on non-budget issues as well, including immigration, energy policy and global warming. In fact, a determination to pretend that there are no scientific findings but only opinions and beliefs reflects an approach to public policy-making that can only be described as medieval.

Finally, to rationalize the irrationality of all of this, these modern relatives of the 19th-century Know-Nothing Party rally around “American exceptionalism,” the quaint notion that God will take care of us no matter how stupidly we behave.

Unfortunately, too many Americans are turned off by what is happening or have deluded themselves into thinking that politics is irrelevant to their lives. The result is government that is stalemated by those who are most stubborn or extreme. And what comes from that is a failure to address the most important issues facing the country.

The United States is falling behind other nations educationally, economically, in the health of its citizens and in investing for the future. Our infrastructure is crumbling, and we look the other way. The failure of Congress to act on the debt ceiling will drastically impact the budgets of state and local government, the efforts to revive a struggling economy and the willingness of other countries to accept the credit-worthiness of American debt.

It’s hard to believe that this is what Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and their compatriots had in mind when they wrote the Declaration of Independence 235 years ago. Our current approach to politics dishonors their memory and the legacy we should be preserving.

Laslo Boyd is interim chief of staff in the Office of the President at Towson University. He can be contacted at lvboyd@gmail.com.