Elbert County Democratic Party

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TO MY FELLOW CITIZENS:

I have been quite upset and depressed with what has been happening in our country. In order to vent and not upset those around me even more, I decided to vent on paper. I share these thoughts with those of you willing to read my tirade and call to action.

The United States of America is quickly becoming unrecognizable. This country, which for almost 250 years has lived by a Constitution that protects individual freedoms, the rights of minorities, freedom of speech, association, and religion seems to be fading away. The country that was the leader of the free world, a leader in scientific and medical knowledge, the protector of the poor and weak around the world no longer seems to exist.

How did this happen in a few short months or was this a long time in the making?

A few months ago we had a thriving economy. The stock market was at an all time high, unemployment at an all time low and major infrastructure and technology bills were ready to bring the United States to the next level of prosperity. What happened?

Donald Trump was elected by a slim margin, by an uninformed electorate that believed the lies he disseminated via social media sites such as Fox, and other right wing websites, interested more in the entertainment of the masses, than providing the electorate with the truth.

The Founding Fathers when authoring the Constitution wanted to assure that there would be multiple checks and balances in the American form of government. They wanted a country that would never again be subjected to the whims of an individual, such as the king, against whom they had just rebelled.

They decided that there should be three equal branches forming the government. No one branch should have more power than the other.

They formed the Legislature, which would be made of of the common man, elected members from different parts of the country, with different experiences and points of view. They would debate issues and arrive at a consensus, albeit not what everyone wanted, but what was acceptable to the majority.

The Senate would be made up of more learned individuals, perhaps older and more experienced, from different walks of life and from different parts of the country, who would review and discuss legislation brought before them and decide what was acceptable to be enacted and what was not.

The President or executive was the individual who would enact the proposed laws. He would sign the proposed legislation if he agreed, or veto it if he disagreed. This was not done arbitrarily, but rather based on how strongly the Legislature and Senate felt about an issue, a reflection of how the electorate felt and how it squared with the parameters set forth in the Constitution.

The third branch of government, established to assure that a balance of power was maintained, was the Judiciary. The top level of the judiciary is the Supreme Court who ultimately determines what is the law. The Supreme Court made up of nine justices appointed for life ( and therefore not beholden to anyone) assured that the actions of our government were consistent with the dictates of the Constitution. They were the arbiters of right and wrong in our nation.

There is another entity in our nation, while not official, often referred to as the “Fourth Estate”, that has a vital role in assuring good governance. It is “The Free Press.” For centuries a free press has been seen as essential to good governance, for how else was the common man able to know or understand what his/her leaders were doing on his/her behalf if there was no neutral body in existence to report and tell the truth. The free press also served to report fraudulent or political manipulations that were contrary to Constitutional directives.

These four entities exist today. The Legislature ( House and Senate), the President (the Executive), the Judiciary ( the courts) and the Press ( newspapers, social media, TV).

So why has our government gone amuck? What happened to the balance of power? How has our country once the beacon of hope, the pilar of democracy, the land of opportunity, become a pariah among our most stalwart democratic allies.

There is a word “norms”, that is little used but has a great deal of meaning. Norms is the word used to describe how one behaves. Norms are something a child is taught at a very early age and continues to learn throughout life. It is what causes us to act appropriately in a given situation, to speak appropriately with others and basically do the normal or socially acceptable right thing.

What has happened today, in our government, is that there is no longer respect for norms. And now, those in political power and some of the electorate have gotten on the “no norms” band wagon. This I think partially explains what has happened to our government and our country.

Candidates for public office, often do not run for their house seats because they are committed to representing the needs for the people in their districts, but rather as a stepping stone to a more prestigious and better paying job.

Senate candidates likewise are looking for prestige, publicity and a pathway to a higher government or corporate position.

The President, who is supposed to carry out the dictates of the electorate through the Legislature, now seems to be more concerned about acquiring fame and fortune( and staying out of jail) then serving his people.

The Supreme Court, the top level of the Federal Judiciary, was once unimpeachable as a pilar of honesty, discretion and intellect. They have now shown their true colors, and would not even meet the standards set for a lowly lawyer, who has sworn to avoid the “appearance of impropriety” in all his professional interactions.

And now we get to the free press, our last hope of disseminating the truth.

Much has happened in the last few decades, the most significant of which is the emergence of the internet. News is now instantaneous and it gets distributed to millions of people at a very low cost. What could possibly be wrong with this? One of the unintended consequences is that readers now get their news in short sound bites published by a variety of sources. They have no patience for reading long articles that explain both sides of a story. Anyone regardless of expertise or credibility is able to post and disseminate information whether it is truthful or not. And no one is checking on the accuracy of the information posted and shared. There are specific media companies which specialize in promoting certain points of view and who have a cadre of followers who only listen to them because the are in agreement with what they post. As a result, we have different groups getting different “truths” or untruths. They never hear the other side of the story! And very few social media outlets want to tell the whole story, the good , the bad and the ugly, because it might effect their following. Given the American attention span, accustomed to getting their information in short snappy sound bites, very few folk are interested in delving into the boring facts involved in complex issues.

And here we are, the most advanced country in the world, at the abyss.

What can we as ordinary citizens do? Venting and pontificating about our situation accomplishes little. However, there are a few basic things we should think about and consider. And then we must act.

Government exists for the people. Our government was established to provide each individual, regardless of background, with a sense of security and freedom. Among the goals of government is the promotion of prosperity for its people, through education and laws enacted to protect us all equally. The government should not exist to promote the interests of some over the interests of others. Our elected representatives should serve the people, not the other way around. We pay taxes so services are available for the people. Our elected officials are to spend those taxes prudently on our behalf. Government is not a “for profit business”. The quality of government is not measured by the funds it has in its coffers but rather by how wisely those funds are being used for the welfare of its citizens.

Make no apologies to your elected representatives. They were hired by you, to work for you. You have the right and obligation to assure that they are working on your behalf. These are fine sentiments, you may say, but how is this going to change anything?

The only tools available to us as citizens of the United States of America are our vote and our voice.

When you next vote be sure to learn as much as possible about the candidates your are voting for. Remember he/she is being hired to work for you. Ask yourself, do they have your interests at heart or is this just a stepping stone in their career.

Even before getting to the voting stage, become involved in your local political party and help find suitable candidates before an election. Make your voice heard by the local party officers so they know what type of candidate will appeal to you and your fellow voters. Get involved as much or as little as suits you, but get involved.

Your other tool, “your voice” is something that can be used prior to the next election. In fact, we must all be using it during these perilous times.

Speak to your friends and neighbors about the issues that concern you. You may be surprised to learn that they have the same concerns. It is difficult to talk about some issues, with people who you know are not like minded. Stick to the facts, be polite and don’t back down.

Write to your local papers and use social media to express your concerns. Once again make sure you have the facts. Do not use inflammatory language. Be prepared for nasty responses. Ignore them.

Contact your local representatives. They need to hear from you.

Be prepared to march. While not as easy as staying home and writing, there comes a time when a physical presence at a peaceful demonstration can have a significant impact.

You must not remain silent. You must not despair. You must act. Your country depends on you.

- Alessandra Navetta