Lubbock County Firework Ban is a Good Move

Lubbock County Commissioners voted to ban fireworks for the entire summer in their meeting Monday morning in a stunning move of common sense from a commissioners court that rarely applies it.

For the past nine months Texas has been dealing with a terrible drought and has had very little rainfall since October and the result of this has been massive wildfires which have scorched hundreds of thousands of acres leaving many people with homes to rebuild and livelihoods destroyed.

The critics will tell you that the fine for setting off fireworks is too excessive at 180 days in jail and a $1000 fine, but they miss the big picture because of the aforementioned wildfire conditions.

Also, some complain that law enforcement won't take care of those who set off fireworks and that they never have, but rarely is such criticism found to be logical.

I wish I could say that these same critics bring up examples of excessive government when it came to school and government spending, and the progressive creep of government infringement on personal freedoms, but I can safely say they don’t care. In their minds, “The Man” is bringing them down again with no fireworks allowed.

The Fourth of July is a celebration of our independence from Great Britain and many just see it as a day to get drunk on bad light beer and set off their fireworks at friends like a scene from the HBO mini-series The Pacific.

Instead of setting off fireworks maybe we could actually read the Declaration of Independence and reflect on the freedoms we are afforded as Americans. You just might learn something, just don't burn Texas down.