With freedom comes responsibility
Just hearing that phrase instantly makes me think of my dad. He used to say it all the time-he was referring of course to self conduct, and knowing that your actions have consequences. "Be good to yourself, daughter" he would say in that thickly accented, heavy roll of the 'r' English. Choose wisely, grasshopper.
Now let's apply this concept on a political level. The freedom I speak of now refers to your right to self governance thru elected representatives and your actual individual vote as provided for in the Constitution. The idea, remember, is that you have a direct say in how you are governed-you are the actual writers of laws, rules and restrictions. We, the People, have the freedom to write our laws, then We the People have the responsibility to follow them.
I believe your elected congressional representative should actually represent the voice of his district, even if he personally disagrees with it. If he goes to Washington and votes in a way that does not represent the majority in his district, then he is not a representative at all, but quite the opposite indeed.
While there, he writes laws without consulting you that do not reflect your needs or wishes. You show me where We the People consent to being personally taxed, let alone at the rate that is written on the books.
And how is this possible? Because we-you and I, that's who-let them. We didn't vote them out year after year, decade after decade, now century after century, and they slowly and systematically altered the system right under our noses to their liking. Every time a congressman votes against his constituents true voices and is not removed from his seat, he will see it as license to do as he pleases when ever he likes. That's not a representative democracy.
So, how do you keep it a real voice of the real majority? Well, you must stay informed about your congressional rep. and your senators' voting records, as well as what bills they actually bring to the floor. If you don't agree with their voting record, if they don't represent your views, you must tell them! If you don't tell them what you want from Washington, they can't get it for you. How many of us have actually ever contacted our congressional rep. to tell them what we want, or better yet, what we don't want? Evidently not enough! Have you ever told them that if they vote for a particular legistlation, you will publicly campaign for their expulsion? Do you vote? Do you vote against an incumbent who previously 'wronged' you?
You have to VOTE, and not just in presidential elections. Who is your congressman and senator is much more important than who is your president. They make or brake actual legislation.
Listen, I'm not going to tell you how to vote. But I am going to insist that you do vote, because if you don't, you are letting a FEW make the rules for all of us, instead of US making the rules for ourselves. If you are informed and motivated, you and I could be voting on the same side to change things to the way we want. Or, you could vote against me, to change things to the way you want. But that is the point, that it is in our hands-if we don't bother to know about it, to use it to its full potential-others will decide things for us, and neither one of us will end up with what we wanted. I can accept being 'defeated' by a majority voice, but it's not even a fair contest if many of the 'voices' don't show up.
"Choose wisely, grasshopper." I'm trying Daddy, I'm trying.