"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed..."Declaration of Independence, United States of America, 1776
Although most Americans are familiar with the first sentence above, fewer know the second as well. The mid-term election brings this “consent” to the fore, in keeping with our right to vote and our right to “vote them out”. In most mid-term elections, the party in power loses congressional seats, but the change in House seats in this election was historic.
The “governed” or most of them anyway, have decided that the losers no longer had their “consent.” And as much as one might be dismayed with the results, it is this cornerstone of our democracy that makes us great.
We stood (and still stand) to lose this greatness if our representatives cannot grasp the intention of the voters. No party gained or lost a mandate here. It was clear that the people were angry with both parties and just wanted to see them get something done.
It does seem, however, that fiscal conservatism was the “flavor of the day”. With the Wall Street Bailouts and other TARP programs, the expanding deficit, and unemployment, the people have spoken that the current road is leading to disaster.
The discerning voter should, however, be careful what they wish for. For instance, “repealing” Obamacare carries with it all of the good parts too. Letting banks fail probably would not have been too good for us. But it was never explained well and worse yet, there were no rules set
for the beneficiaries of the taxpayer largesse. The banks and investment house continue to chug on giving raises and bonuses that make even good, staunch, free market Republicans blanch. There must be some controls because humans tend to look for the l
oopholes, in laws and in life, and without some curbs, rank larceny is inevitable.
So let’s hope that the Republicans truly feel that they must remain humble, and that the Democrats will temper their spending and Nanny-State ideals just tad. If so, there may be hope for the future with America holding onto and improving our greatness. No one can expect to have 100% of their beliefs forced on the rest, but a little give and take might get everyone at least “half a loaf,” which is said to be better than none.
Although most Americans are familiar with the first sentence above, fewer know the second as well. The mid-term election brings this “consent” to the fore, in keeping with our right to vote and our right to “vote them out”. In most mid-term elections, the party in power loses congressional seats, but the change in House seats in this election was historic.
The “governed” or most of them anyway, have decided that the losers no longer had their “consent.” And as much as one might be dismayed with the results, it is this cornerstone of our democracy that makes us great.
We stood (and still stand) to lose this greatness if our representatives cannot grasp the intention of the voters. No party gained or lost a mandate here. It was clear that the people were angry with both parties and just wanted to see them get something done.
It does seem, however, that fiscal conservatism was the “flavor of the day”. With the Wall Street Bailouts and other TARP programs, the expanding deficit, and unemployment, the people have spoken that the current road is leading to disaster.
The discerning voter should, however, be careful what they wish for. For instance, “repealing” Obamacare carries with it all of the good parts too. Letting banks fail probably would not have been too good for us. But it was never explained well and worse yet, there were no rules set
for the beneficiaries of the taxpayer largesse. The banks and investment house continue to chug on giving raises and bonuses that make even good, staunch, free market Republicans blanch. There must be some controls because humans tend to look for the l
oopholes, in laws and in life, and without some curbs, rank larceny is inevitable.So let’s hope that the Republicans truly feel that they must remain humble, and that the Democrats will temper their spending and Nanny-State ideals just tad. If so, there may be hope for the future with America holding onto and improving our greatness. No one can expect to have 100% of their beliefs forced on the rest, but a little give and take might get everyone at least “half a loaf,” which is said to be better than none.
1 comment:
I worry that any possibility of bipartisanship has been swept away.With such a lack of civility and so much contentiousness it seems that it has become almost totally "we" vs. "them". The Republicans primary goal for the next 2 years is to insure the defeat of Obama. Neither side will present any solutions that the other side will agree with, and very little will get done.
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