Republished From The Gainesville Sun; Opinion-Editorial; Oct 21, 2010
America’s Liberties at a Cross Roads:
Nonpartisan Thoughts on America’s Problems
By:
C. Gary Moody, Esq. and Larry N. Smith, M.D.
Most Americans would agree that our country is in serious trouble on many levels. In both Iraq and Afghanistan, good Americans are fighting to secure an opportunity for global peaceful coexistence, while back home a mortgage and real estate crisis reminiscent of the 1930s rages on. Devastating unemployment, bank failures, and the entanglement of the populace and their representatives in a divisive health care fiasco that has prompted constitutional legal challenges, have only added to the economic concerns. Many blame the acceleration of the outsourcing of jobs overseas while struggling daily with a failing economy. At the same time, the current administration desires to further empower labor unions that have significantly contributed to American outsourcing of jobs.
America is a country of over 300 million people, yet the majority of its serious problems are visited upon us by the actions or inactions of — 1 President, 9 Supreme Court justices, 100 senators, 435 members of the House of Representatives and our state and local officials. Yes, the housing market failure and the subsequent Wall Street collapse were the direct result of governmental over-regulation and unsound, forced lending practices, driven by laws mostly written by special interest groups. Our taxes are high and our tax code is unintelligible because our elected politicians want them that way, otherwise they would reduce them and simplify the code. As unbelievable as it may seem, our Secretary of the Treasury is an admitted tax evader, along with many other sitting congressional representatives. Are politicians not subject to the laws they create for the rest of us? To add to all these problems, there is not a competent and impartial Attorney General to prosecute these politicians?
While there is plenty of justified criticism for all of these people, we look with great concern at our Supreme Court, primarily for its failure to grasp the fundamental concept that it was constitutionally designated to carry out. When reading many of the Court’s decisions, one would be hard-pressed to ascertain whether our Supreme Court actually understands their function. We worry that recent appointees feel better qualified to make decisions by virtue of their ethnicity or gender.
It is morally and constitutionally unacceptable to actually hear an impeached federal judge, who is now a sitting representative say, “There are no rules up here…we make them up as we go.” Such a statement clearly evidences a basic and fundamental disrespect for the Constitution and the voters who elected him. This type language leaves no doubt that many political types lack honesty and integrity and are driven solely by party ideology – Republican or Democrat. It seems our elected officials spend their time creating un-constitutional, financially unsustainable programs, then address their constituents with insincere platitudes suggesting that these problems are not of their making. Many even admit they do not consider the Constitution when making their decisions. However, state and federal Supreme Courts are tasked with striking down un-constitutional legislation, reminding the legislators they are at fault, that there are rules, and that they are accountable for the laws they pass.
We were warned in the 1700′s about the un-virtuous nature of the elected political class and how this lack of virtue would ultimately destroy our republic. Jefferson, Adams and Madison were right. Only through continued “Vigilance, Virtue and Voting” can the electorate guarantee the natural rotation of legislators through office. The American people seem to have lost their fervor for all three of these values. Many Americans cannot find their precinct-polling place with a GPS, and certainly most would not be willing to face danger in order to vote. A 50 percent voter turnout in a presidential election and a 15% turnout in local elections is deemed satisfactory. In contrast, Iraq boasted nearly a 70 percent voter turnout in its recent election with voters walking through bombs and bullets to vote and earn that country’s badge of courage – a purple finger. Ultimately, the virtues of our elected officials are only as good as the electorates’ virtues and willingness to be vigilant and vote them out of office when their lack of virtue is so clear. We have candidates calling their opposition “wh**es” while others produce and distribute blatantly false and slanderous attack pieces to manipulate the emotions of the electorate. Candidates do not promote their philosophy, virtues, qualifications or political positions and thus allow the public to elect the best candidate. Instead, the goal is to discredit the opposition with any means possible. Sadly the electorate can no longer look to the press for clarity, as the press has become the mouthpiece of one party or the other.
Assailed by this cacophony of propaganda many people sit on the sidelines wringing their hands and failing to understand that the Constitution with its powerful Bill of Rights is the very parchments that provides citizens the mechanisms to make a difference. By using the positive rights guaranteed in this document, Americans are compelled to become involved. They should join like-minded organizations and charities where they can make a difference. By attending government and political meetings and speaking their mind, they can make a difference. Yet we continue to suffer these elected fools lightly, without taking the most legitimate action available to change the future of our country – vote them out of office. If people do not take their responsibility to vote seriously, then we are doomed to a continuing downward spiral leading inevitably to life under Madison’s feared “elected despots”. As an old saying goes, “The position in life where most people find themselves is exactly where they want to be, otherwise they would do something to change it.” Of course, we cannot know beforehand whether the next batch of politicians will do any better, but, given the direction of America today and the past performance of those now in office, it appears there would be a lot to gain and even makes the idea of tight term-limits more attractive.
This approach may seem simplistic, and even unfair to those politicians whom some see as the good ones. Take the time and make the effort to investigate the elected official whom you believe to be a politically virtuous candidate. Are they a person who will truly represent the will of the people and support the Constitution that they will be sworn to protect and defend. Look into his or her voting record, investigate whether that record is consistent with his or her rhetoric or are they just another party line puppet. Will they subject themselves and their families to the same laws that they inflict on us, be it healthcare reform or an increase in the millage rate? Are they using your tax dollars wisely or are they buying old business and land or sending checks to deceased people while funding labor union bale-outs with tax dollars. Do their actions result in special assessments because their inappropriate use of tax dollars neglects the core services of government while the deficit and debt grows? Is this person worthy of your support, and truly has your city, state or nation’s best interest at heart? If so, then vote to keep that person in office. However, if that this person is not bringing the kind of representative government America was designed to have, vote them out of office, and urge others to do the same thing. There can be no second chances for any of them, otherwise shame on us.
A government that leads us into the tyranny of repressive taxation to pay for massive debt caused by ideological legislation enacted directly by those who are not subject to the very laws they inflict on us is not a government either by the people or for the people. This type of legislative tyranny stifles opportunity and innovation. It kills the human spirit, robs us of the personal responsibility and aspiration that was once so strong in America. “Liberty Requires Courage.” It requires courage to keep it, courage to fight for it, courage to work hard and even fail but knowing that you can get up and try again because of liberty. If the average person in this country continues to ignore their responsibility to carry on the fight against those who would reorder our constitutional our way of life, by continuing their conspicuous absence at the polls, then we are guaranteed mediocrity from our elected officials. Inevitably, the resulting social mediocrity of re-distributive entitlement funded by tyrannical taxation will rob us of our liberties and destroy America’s reason for being.
Become engaged in the fight – VOTE – as it is your only legitimate weapon in this very important process.
