Posted by
Lucky1346 on Saturday, November 15, 2008 6:24:54 PM
Barack Obama just won the November 4, 2008 election. And in the November 12 edition of my local North Ridgeville Press & Light newspaper a guy wrote in his letter to editor,
"... Finally, we once again have a man who has inspired young people and many other groups who have felt ignored for far too long in the political process of this country... "
I can't help but wonder how many millions of American voters feel the same way, that they have been ignored or what's that other word they used extensively in the 2000 and 2004 elections? Ah, yes, that word was "disenfranchised." I can't say I'm okay with my party losing the election, but that's another blog entry for another day. Today's subject is all about personal responsibility, the one a U.S. citizen is supposed to live up to in a democracy.
Apparently the author of that letter to the editor has felt ignored since John F. Kennedy was president, at least to hear him tell the story of the last time he was actively involved in a presidential campaign. What the heck has this person been doing since the 60's? Personally I would be too embarrassed to admit that I've been sitting around since college just waiting for someone to inspire me to get involved in the political process.
Another thing, I'm still trying to figure out how those "disenfranchised" voters across the country allowed themselves to be intimidated into giving up their right to vote. (Now, I do remember the time when I was ten or eleven and a girl who was a few years older than me threatened to beat me up if I tried to leave her back yard. I was scared, I'll admit, but years later when I realized that a bloody nose would have healed, I felt ashamed that I let fear stop me from breaking free of her.)
I just want to know why so many millions of people think that the Government is supposed to reach out to them. Do they have any idea just how many people that would involve? How many people would be phoning their home to ask,
"How's everything going with you, Mr, So-and-So? I'm just calling to ask if I'm doing everything here in Washington D.C. that you want me to do."
Let's see, we have at least one senator, and a couple of Congressmen and that's just on the federal level. Can't forget about the local and state level, too. Conservatively we're possibly talking about twelve people phoning you once a month?
How many times were you called these past couple of months by a McCain or Obama campaign volunteer, or by one of those automated recorded phone bank calls that encouraged you to vote for their candidate? And just how irritated were you after the fifth or sixth call?
And how much mail did you get during the campaign season from all your local political candidates? Did you read it all or did it go right into the trash. How much other mail do you get now that you don't read? Imagine reading the newsletters, or surveys, from those twelve people. I know I don't read it all. I don't even like getting those little membership cards in the mail after I made a contribution. I wish they had saved the money and used it on TV or radio spots.
Yet this guy, this 60+ year-old guy, has been sitting around for 40 years just waiting for someone in the Government to inspire him. Inspire him to do what?
I'll bet it's not inspiration this man has been waiting for, he's been waiting for a freebie, some pork perhaps, or a concession, a bit of "good news" in the form of a tax rebate - or maybe a tax cut - that he's been waiting for. Now he's probably chomping at the bit to see how much more he'll get in his social security check.
Or is it caring he's looking for? What form of "caring" could he be looking for, other than those mentioned previously. My parents cared about me, my spouse cares about me and my kids care about me - I need all those people I vote for to show their concern by doing the job I hired them for, such as keeping their campaign promises, governing with integrity, not stealing from me, and protecting my rights under the Constitution.
We live in a Republic, a participatory form of governance, one in which we trade our vote for service. If we have discovered that we don't like the service we got, then we don't vote for the same people again.
I suggest that it is our responsibility to do the inspiring, not the other way around. Perhaps our elected officials could use some inspiration. Imagine their surprise when they hear from us!! Or they experience the novelty of communicating our displeasure when it's not an election year.
What's wrong with us calling them? Or writing them with our concerns or complaints. I write all the time, I blog a lot, I even faxed the president when I really wanted to make a point. I remember the time I drew a picture on a piece of paper to demonstrate my point then faxed it. I phoned, I wrote, I communicated with all my elected officials. That's probably why our elected officials list every possible way of reaching them through their offices, by letters, newsletters, web sites, from local to federal, and even in the telephone book.
In his letter to the editor this old guy also referred to the "hope" that Obama constantly claimed to offer the American people. I hope the old guy, the one with time on his hands now that he's retired, will make some contribution to the country other than whining about what the country can do for him - or has he forgotten that plea from one of his other heroes, JFK?