An opinion by Charlie Paris
‘We the People’ have slowly but very steadily become ‘We the Governed’.
We The Governed
Ask any elected official who they work for, and they will be very quick to tell you that they work for "the people". That's really the only acceptable answer; because that's the way it's supposed to be. Yet this response has become more and more inaccurate. I'm not saying that it is impossible to find an elected official that truly believes they work for those who elected them. In fact, I know a few. What I am saying is that it is rare - too rare; and it is becoming more so every year. The prevailing attitude of most elected officials today seems to be more along the lines of "I govern you", rather than "I work for you". There is an arrogance that seems to go along with elected office today.
I long for the days when our Officials tried very hard not to get caught in a lie. I don’t mean that they tried not to lie; just that they didn’t want to get caught at it. Today, our Officials lie to us with an arrogance and a level of condescension that can only come from a complete disdain for those who elected them to office. By that I mean that they lie to us, knowing that we know it is a lie; and they don’t care. Why should they? They are very seldom challenged or held accountable.
Today, our President tells us that we have to spend even more in order to ultimately lower our national debt; with a straight face. Our Senators tell us that we have a revenue problem, not a spending problem –and our Representatives tell us they will never compromise on taxes even as they are negotiating those very compromises. Closer to home, our State House members would like to prevent us from being able to contact any legislator that is outside our home district – requiring us to register as a lobbyist if we do. Why? Because they don’t want to be bothered with us. Then, with the prerequisite straight face, they call this ethics legislation and tell us that they are looking out for us. But who would actually vote for such a bill? 164 of our State Representatives voted for it. Only 4 voted no. Remember, all these folks are up for re-election next year. I can only think of 4 that I would vote for.
It’s time for us to get mad – or maybe just scared. Either way, it is time for ‘We the People’ to take back our government at all levels.
Thank you for your consideration,
Charlie Paris
I long for the days when our Officials tried very hard not to get caught in a lie. I don’t mean that they tried not to lie; just that they didn’t want to get caught at it. Today, our Officials lie to us with an arrogance and a level of condescension that can only come from a complete disdain for those who elected them to office. By that I mean that they lie to us, knowing that we know it is a lie; and they don’t care. Why should they? They are very seldom challenged or held accountable.
Today, our President tells us that we have to spend even more in order to ultimately lower our national debt; with a straight face. Our Senators tell us that we have a revenue problem, not a spending problem –and our Representatives tell us they will never compromise on taxes even as they are negotiating those very compromises. Closer to home, our State House members would like to prevent us from being able to contact any legislator that is outside our home district – requiring us to register as a lobbyist if we do. Why? Because they don’t want to be bothered with us. Then, with the prerequisite straight face, they call this ethics legislation and tell us that they are looking out for us. But who would actually vote for such a bill? 164 of our State Representatives voted for it. Only 4 voted no. Remember, all these folks are up for re-election next year. I can only think of 4 that I would vote for.
It’s time for us to get mad – or maybe just scared. Either way, it is time for ‘We the People’ to take back our government at all levels.
Thank you for your consideration,
Charlie Paris
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