Renewing our Belief in American Government

For all the damage that corrupt politicians have done to our country and our state over the past decades, I fear the worst may be that they have very nearly destroyed the average American's belief in our "system" of government, so much so, that any discussion of politics with the average person must invariably involve at least half an hour convincing them that one even exists.  Somehow a substantial portion of Americans have come to believe that our system of government is American's problem, and not the elected officials participating in its daily functions.  The corrupt few (a few bad apples...) who seem intent upon perpetuating this myth among their constituents, hide behind the furor and silently go about the business of deconstructing our government.

The corrupt few have introduced (again) bills calling for term limits for both Senators and Representatives.  This is ludicrous.  Americans can vote for anything we like.  The Constitution has already placed limits on terms, and if Americans see fit to re-elect a Congressman than so be it.  The fight must remain with us, not the Congress.

We are fighting for the life of our form of government.  The issues like health care, social security and so forth are merely key points illustrating that that one group wants the freedom to choose a solution even if it may not be the best solution, while the other group simply wants to halt any argument and stifle the democratic process.  The tea baggers in effect cry, "shut up and do what you are told" while the progressives cry out, "we need to find a solution." 

Regardless of their positions on states rights versus federal authority, the founding fathers believed in the government they hoped to create and the right of the people to influence its actions.  The sharp words exchanged between citizens of our nation for the past year makes me cringe.  One group of Americans has told another group of Americans that they have no right to ask for change, to protest the status quo, to ask their legislatures to change laws or even to speak out in public to other Americans.  It is this last outrage that galls me the most because this is the key to democracy.  One vote is but one vote, but many votes move mountains.  If a person feels passionate about an issue, and exercises respect when voicing an opinion in an attempt to sway others to that issue,  then that person should have no fear under our Constitution.  The right of free speech is protected.  The right to verbally bludgeon others into submission is not protection, nor is the right to threaten others, but the right to civil discourse is protected.  Our government cannot function without this right.  Americans are the body politic, and our representatives are the politicians who tend to us.  That is the true meaning of politics. 

I want to find a way to help people renew their belief in government.  I want everyone, regardless of their political affiliations to look at the Constitution with fresh eyes, to see that it does hold the rights of the one and the few to be as important as the rights of the many, and to understand that the life of our Constitution depends on broad participation of the citizens of the United States of America.  Without it, African-Americans would not have held out hope for equal rights, immigrants who have traveled to America for hundreds of years would not have held out hope for prosperity in a society as classless as any of its time could be hoped for, and woman in our country would not feel empowered to reach across oceans to teach equality to oppressed women in other countries.

For this reason, I intent to redirect my efforts away from direct conflict and back towards education.  How can we as Americans make informed decisions when we no longer understand the structure of our government, how it works, and the job descriptions of those we vote into office.  I will get back to the roots of this website and devote the site to civics, and hopefully encourage citizens to stay involved, to set aside animosity and distrust and be unafraid to participate.  There are ways to root out corruption, to know when and how our representatives vote on issues, and perhaps even to clarify what issues might be worth of secular involvement and those which should be left to communities and religious establishments.