It’s not too late
Published Wed, Sep 9 2009 9:05 AM
Good advice is seldom heeded until it’s too late. Take for example this advice from Thomas Jefferson.
“Cherish, therefore, the spirit of our people, and keep alive their attention. Do not be too severe upon their errors, but reclaim them by enlightening them. If once they become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress, and Assemblies, Judges, and Governors, shall all become wolves.”
– Thomas Jefferson, letter to Edward Carrington, 1787
Sadly, the spirit of our people wasn’t cherished for very long. Just sixteen years after he wrote this, the “Judges” were looking a bit lupine. Even during the first term of George Washington’s presidency the spirit of faction had infected American politics and we were well on the way to being a people inattentive to public affairs.
Today my wife believes firmly that there’s not really much point in voting. The politicians don’t listen to the people. Well over half of the voting public doesn’t care about anything beyond “feel good” politics anyway or which candidate looks better in his underwear when caught in scandalous behavior. Thomas Jefferson’s words have proven true – Congress, local assemblies, judges, governors, and especially the non-elected government officials that really run things have all become wolves.
It doesn’t help that the “watchdog” of the people – the “press” has become a willing partner in the policies and practices of faction. Opinion is disguised as news and the common man doesn’t seem to be able to tell the difference anymore. It’s definitely time to take to heart Mr. Jefferson’s advice.
“Reclaim them by enlightening them.”
Seventy one percent of Americans taking a civics literacy test fail. Education as it exists in America today – even so called “higher”education does little to improve civics literacy. For that matter, it seems that today’s teachers aren’t really interested in teaching so much as they are in doing less work for more money.
Thirty-six percent of college graduates cannot name all three branches of government, required knowledge on the U.S. citizenship exam. Remarkably, that is the same percentage of first-time citizenship applicants who answer this question correctly.
Even paying attention to the news – at least television news doesn’t seem to help anymore. In fact television news appears to contribute to the problem.
Let’s face it, people don’t really pay much attention to what they don’t understand. They pay attention if they have a financial interest in it – at least some of them do. They pay attention if it titillates. They pay attention if it’s scandalous. But if it’s distant, remote and poorly understood they leave it to others – and that’s why we have a government that’s as rapacious as a wolf. It almost seems as if it’s too late to make a real change.
“Real Change.” It’s too bad that the people advocating more of the same have taken over that phrase and made it their own. No, not the Democratic Party – the political class in general. What we need is real change, and it’s not too late.
Our institutions aren’t going to fix this problem for us – they’re part of the problem and they’ve got a stake in ensuring that the problem remains. We’re going to have to fix it ourselves. We’re going to have to do it the old-fashioned way – one citizen at a time by word of mouth and by deed.
I think the first thing to do is to educate yourself – learn what the Constitution actually says, not what you think it should say. Learn the principles behind the founding of our government. And then – hold firm to them and teach them to others. The opposition is fierce – because for so many facts don’t matter, just feelings. The task may seem daunting, but the cause is noble and just.
I simply don’t believe that it’s too late. It can’t be. There’s still life in the body.
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ablur responded with: Getting to know them
 | I recently purchased some books to help with just that.
The Real George Washington
The Real Thomas Jefferson
The Real Benjamin Franklin
It is time to visit our roots and prepare to prune the shrub of government. |
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