Citizen Legislators

“The best defense against usurpatory government is an assertive citizenry.” With these words William F. Buckley reaffirmed what the Founders intended when they established a government that was to be “of the people, by the people and for the people.”

The most radical idea in the Declaration of Independence is that people “are of right and ought to be free” to govern themselves.

And for more than a century our nation was governed by citizens who were parttime legislators, meeting a few weeks a year and then returning to a real job.

The advent of the Marxist-socialist, progressive and state-centralizing agenda of the Democratic Party coincides with the emergence of “professional” or “career” politicians and legislators. Government becoming a full-time occupation made it easier to hide the encircling tentacles of soft tyranny.

The current IRS harassment and felonious denial of basic “inalienable” rights of conservatives demonstrate what happens when the citizenry can be insulated from the government.

It will be necessary and it is imperative that freedom-loving citizens reassert their right to govern. Governing a free society is not a job for “professionals.”

It is a job for the people themselves. And after dismantling the leviathan of the welfare state, they can return to their real life.

The problem with part-time, citizen Legislatures is that they are increasingly dealing with full-time problems. We live in a society whose complexities demand ever more specialized knowledge.

Lobbyists and “experts” abound. When testimony and guidance contradict, as is often the case, the question becomes one of whom to trust?

Typically, new legislators turn to their leadership for guidance. When leadership’s primary agenda is one of shrinking government and lowering taxes, instead of problem solving, problems tend to be dealt with poorly, or not at all. Obstructionism and “death by committee” prevail.

Anti-government sentiment is fostered and negativity, blinkered-thinking and small-mindedness abound.

When this situation presents itself, and is maintained over time, re-alignment is called for. The mindset of such leadership must change. A new sense of perspective must be brought to the fore and must be articulated with sensitivity and conviction.

Fortunately, in Montana we have been blessed with members who have both the courage and the sense of responsibility to buck their own leadership when they feel that they are being misled.

It is not an easy or pleasant task, but it is needed, and it deserves both our support and our thanks.