There's an angry struggle going on in America right now. Yes, it has to do with health care; but, no, it's not just about being for or against the government's role. It has to do with the government itself....!
In farm country they like to say if things look hopeless, maybe you're facing the wrong way. If our democracy seems hopelessly tied up right now, maybe it's because after more than 200 years we still haven't faced up to what we want our elected officials to do. Listen to us...or lead us?
When what officials hear goes against what they believe, that's known as the challenge of conscience. Some take a show of hands or a count of shouts, then vote accordingly and call it democracy. After all, they want to get re-elected. And yet there have been times in our history when officials have voted against their constituency and for their conscience. John Quincy Adams (son of John) was well known for that.
How much of his proud Yankee self-righteousness is still out there in the face of today's jeers and swastika's...? We won't know that until later in the year. Between now and then there will be a bazillion polls taken to take the pulse of the people. However, in the final measure, the only pulse that will count will be the one beating in the hands being raised for the final votes.
When the Founding Fathers created our Constitution, they referred to the "will of the people." They never defined the distinction between will and intellect. Our will is generally what we want, our intellect is what we should. Chicago's City Council is infamous for wanting more than shoulding! The US Congress is different in size, but hardly in style. And so we can expect to see most political consciences in Washington safely hidden under the noble banner: listening-to-the-folks-back-home.
In the next round of elections, the listeners are likely to be re-elected. In the next several years, many of the leaders won't be in office, but they may be able to hold their heads up higher. Hard to say for sure. What is for sure is that all of us -- believers and dissenters alike -- will need good doctors and nurses. I've got one of each in the family! What are you counting on....?
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I'm counting on the "party of no" (aka the Republicans) to start communicating and negotiating with Obama and his team! Not everything in his plan in his perfect, but it's a start, and SOMETHING has to be done!
ReplyDeleteCommunicating and negotiating -- yes!!!! Compromise is always better than conflict. But pols are a proud animal....
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