In our Constitutional Representative Republic [not Democracy as popularly misunderstood due to decades of disinformation] we use the democratic process of citizen vote election of representatives. By constitutional mandate all elected representatives and officials are required to pledge an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States.
We send, via election, representatives to our state Legislatures and Congress to uphold and defend the Constitution because we hardworking everyday citizens can’t be there to do it ourselves. That is the purpose of this representational republic, to avoid a mob rule, which is what a democracy certainly is; the domination of the 51 percent over the 49 percent.
Over time that concept and oath mandate has been diluted by partisan representatives vowing to “fight for” their constituents, or “represent all views,” and other silly pandering. Some might say that the 1 percent [super wealthy] have bought and paid for those who voters send to represent us in the task of defending our rights from legislative misemploy.
Party politics has long been responsible for polarization and skewed expectations of what our form of government is established to secure; as inscribed in the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution “ … justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity… ” President George Washington made it clear in his farewell address that party politics is corrosive to the representational republic the founders envisioned and inscribed.
Simply put: justice [not social justice], peace, safety, security and protection of personal and private property rights as further iterated in the Bill of Rights are the things that our central/federal government is obligated to protect. Yet every session of Congress chips away, gradually extinguishing the flame of freedom and self-determination that is the promise of our Constitution.
Today we have a large part of our populace that have not been taught or understand these tenets. Self determination is the core of this republic. Opportunity to personally pursue wealth and success is a personal right and responsibility, not the duty of government to neither ensure nor mandate. People selfishly demand that government bestow on them their perception of plenty via minimum wage, unemployment benefits, pension and disability payments, government subsidies and government protections of all stripe, which ultimately translates to theft from others and enslavement of themselves.
It is painfully obvious that there are certain people in this country who would rather live in bondage with the notion that their morals are still being held.
I am of the opinion that it is immoral to sacrifice freedom to anyone for any reason. I will continue fighting for freedom rather than live in a prison of lies and deceit.
Lark Chadwick lives in Thompson Falls.