As soon as Mom gets up, they take over. At least the bed never gets cold.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Civics 101 (Subtitle: Government For Dummies)
Part one of an occasional series...
So, you say you're not a Constitutional scholar, but you don't need to be one. All you really need to understand is that our entire system of government was designed to be based on something called an "informed electorate." We, as Citizens, are supposed to inform ourselves regarding the issues that are of concern to us, and elect to represent us those who will do something about them. Right now, this country does not do that. At all. It irks me no end when people refer to our system of government as a "democracy." The US is NOT a democracy; it is a representative republic. Democracy, in its purest form, could best be described as "mob rule," where the majority opinion prevails, offering no protection of the minority or individual rights. For obvious reasons, the founders of this nation found that model undesirable. A representative republic, however, offers the opportunity for the majority opinion to hold some sway, while still protecting minority and individual rights within the structure of a Constitution. Much better, eh? However, the devil here is in the details. In order to "form a more perfect union," we must be accurately and sufficiently informed, so that we may elect those who will enact policy reflecting our educated opinions. When people are uneducated and ignorant both of the facts and the way that the government is supposed to work, we get what we have now, which is a government that is not representative of The People. It bothers me when people bitch about "The Government" as if it is some all-powerful entity outside of and superior to themselves; it is not. You are the government. I am the government. ("We The People," remember?) If our government fails, we ALL fail, as it is our job to put people in Washington (and in our States and municipalities) who are answerable to us. If we fail to hold them accountable, then what they do is just as much our fault. We don't elect Leaders here, we elect Representatives, and if those we elect are not representing us, then it is our job to throw the bums out and put in their places people who will.
People often ask me what the role of "government" should be. Well, as we are the "government," our first responsibility is to ourselves, to see that we are educated and informed. We, through the actions of our representative government, should see that people get the education and resources they need to be self-sufficient and to successfully self-govern. There has been, as I'm sure you're all aware, a concerted and systematic effort by certain forces in this country to dismantle public education, both in the schools and in general, in terms of the "news" that we all receive on a daily basis. Some refer to this as the "dumbing down" of America; Al Gore, who has written a book on the subject, refers to this as The Assault on Reason.
In order to correct this situation, We the People need to spend some serious time educating ourselves, and insisting on much higher standards than are currently in place, both in terms of education and in the conduct of our elected representatives. Look at what passes for "news" on television, for example. Do you really care that much about the fate of Anna Nicole Smith? Is her baby's paternity a vital issue of national concern? Will people live or die as the result of Brittney Spears' shaved head? More people vote for American Idol (or, as I refer to it, American Idle) than in a national election, for crying out loud. Does this seem right to you? If you can keep track of a dozen contestants over a period of ten weeks, is it that much of a leap to ask you to keep your eye on one Congressperson, two Senators, and a few pieces of potentially life-altering legislation? And, while we fill our heads with mindless drivel like this, the very pillars of our society such as the rule of law and the right to habeas corpus are being struck deadly blows by those who seek only their own empowerment and enrichment. I struggled to find the appropriate quote with which to leave you as food for thought, as there are so many. I finally decided on this:
So, you say you're not a Constitutional scholar, but you don't need to be one. All you really need to understand is that our entire system of government was designed to be based on something called an "informed electorate." We, as Citizens, are supposed to inform ourselves regarding the issues that are of concern to us, and elect to represent us those who will do something about them. Right now, this country does not do that. At all. It irks me no end when people refer to our system of government as a "democracy." The US is NOT a democracy; it is a representative republic. Democracy, in its purest form, could best be described as "mob rule," where the majority opinion prevails, offering no protection of the minority or individual rights. For obvious reasons, the founders of this nation found that model undesirable. A representative republic, however, offers the opportunity for the majority opinion to hold some sway, while still protecting minority and individual rights within the structure of a Constitution. Much better, eh? However, the devil here is in the details. In order to "form a more perfect union," we must be accurately and sufficiently informed, so that we may elect those who will enact policy reflecting our educated opinions. When people are uneducated and ignorant both of the facts and the way that the government is supposed to work, we get what we have now, which is a government that is not representative of The People. It bothers me when people bitch about "The Government" as if it is some all-powerful entity outside of and superior to themselves; it is not. You are the government. I am the government. ("We The People," remember?) If our government fails, we ALL fail, as it is our job to put people in Washington (and in our States and municipalities) who are answerable to us. If we fail to hold them accountable, then what they do is just as much our fault. We don't elect Leaders here, we elect Representatives, and if those we elect are not representing us, then it is our job to throw the bums out and put in their places people who will.
People often ask me what the role of "government" should be. Well, as we are the "government," our first responsibility is to ourselves, to see that we are educated and informed. We, through the actions of our representative government, should see that people get the education and resources they need to be self-sufficient and to successfully self-govern. There has been, as I'm sure you're all aware, a concerted and systematic effort by certain forces in this country to dismantle public education, both in the schools and in general, in terms of the "news" that we all receive on a daily basis. Some refer to this as the "dumbing down" of America; Al Gore, who has written a book on the subject, refers to this as The Assault on Reason.
In order to correct this situation, We the People need to spend some serious time educating ourselves, and insisting on much higher standards than are currently in place, both in terms of education and in the conduct of our elected representatives. Look at what passes for "news" on television, for example. Do you really care that much about the fate of Anna Nicole Smith? Is her baby's paternity a vital issue of national concern? Will people live or die as the result of Brittney Spears' shaved head? More people vote for American Idol (or, as I refer to it, American Idle) than in a national election, for crying out loud. Does this seem right to you? If you can keep track of a dozen contestants over a period of ten weeks, is it that much of a leap to ask you to keep your eye on one Congressperson, two Senators, and a few pieces of potentially life-altering legislation? And, while we fill our heads with mindless drivel like this, the very pillars of our society such as the rule of law and the right to habeas corpus are being struck deadly blows by those who seek only their own empowerment and enrichment. I struggled to find the appropriate quote with which to leave you as food for thought, as there are so many. I finally decided on this:
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." --Thomas Jefferson to Charles Yancey, 1816
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Is this thing on?
Well, I've finally decided to start a blog. I've avoided it for this long, as I really haven't had the time or the inclination to maintain it in a manner that would meet my standards for a "real" blog. But, in the end, I figured it was more important to me to have a place of my own to post my ramblings than to try to adhere to some standard. So, herein I will post about things that piss me off, things that make me smile, and perhaps, occasionally, offer a little insight. Assuming that at some point in time, someone other than me will actually read this space, welcome, and feel free to join the conversation.
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