“If you want a better government, be a better Citizen.” – Stonekettle Station, Jim Wright
I’ve got that on my fridge as both a reminder and a warning. It’s a reminder to me that if I want a nation that reflects the ideals in the Constitution, and the humanistic goals that they sprung from, I need to get out and make it happen. It’s a warning to me that if I do not work towards something better, then I will probably get what I deserve.
The key thing of it all, though, is that the government and citizens are one, at least here in the United States. That was the whole point, a Citizen government. As one President said, “…of the People, by the People, for the People…”
So, when you talk about bad laws, bad representation, being “forced” to do things, you have to look around you and also look in the mirror. When you see something that could be better? Well, the Government isn’t a faceless entity that dictates down to you. It’s worse than that. It’s your neighbors, your family, Phil in accounting, some random person 1500 miles from you. That’s your government. Some 250 million people, ish.
That applies all the way down, right to your local town hall and police department.
And, it’s true, we have a history of not getting things right all at once- we usually have to work at it. Some of our best legislation, our best social movements, have occurred in response to the reality that we have to do better. I guess that’s why they term positive change, “progressive”. Oops, I probably should have posted some sort of trigger warning before using that word. It’s been known to get some people a little worked up. That’s OK, though. From where I’m standing, our government could use quite a bit of work right now, so getting people worked up is just fine with me.
At any rate, just something to think about during an election year.
