We the People are America; NOT our Government

Hopefully readers of this blog (all 3 of you!) have noticed that I never bash individual policy-makers or politicians. Rather, I attempt to focus on the principles involved.  This has been intentional, because our problems are bigger than personalities, and our malaise is beyond the reach of political messiahs (whether of the Bush or Obama variety). 

I believe many of the problems with the United States today stem from the fact that she has forgotten her roots. It was once a country in love with the idea of liberty. Individuals and freedom were the centerpiece of an experiment in government unlike anything before. The principles of liberty and freedom were what was celebrated, not the STATE itself. But today, we have it backwards. We celebrate the STATE, and think that it is the source of our freedom. We talk about having Czars for this and Czars for that, we create enormous bureaucratic DEPARTMENTS to solve our problems, and we expect THE GOVERNMENT to predominate in all our affairs. The rest of the world has gotten it confused, too. They take the bullying, brash, arrogant, ruthless tactics of our government in world affairs and think, "THAT IS AMERICA."

This all represents a tragic shift in thinking.

We the People are America; not our government.   

There is something that demonstrates this symbolically: U.S. coinage. Leaving aside, for the moment, that U.S. coins used to contain precious metals and therefore were valuable in and of themselves, today's "arcade tokens" that serve as our coins also have another major difference, and that difference is quite telling. The early American coins featured Liberty as a beautifully-clad woman strolling confidently and carrying symbols of peace and prosperity. Torches of freedom and symbols of liberty were widely employed. It was as if the focus was on the principles of freedom, not the figureheads of power. We had our Washingtons and our Jeffersons, to be sure, but their likenesses weren't dominant on our coins like a Caesar in all his omnipotent power. No. Lady Liberty got the predominance; she was the focus.

Today that has all changed. Our coins seem to celebrate the STATE, and feature former politicians as the enshrined masters of power. Washington and Jefferson would probably blush, if not blanch in anger. Worse, however, is the bizarre symbolism on our paper currency. Secret society markings and strange sayings are strangely prevalent. Conspiracy theorists run rampant with these, but at the very least, these symbols do not promote freedom and liberty. And at the worst . . . ?

Where has the love of liberty gone? 

Why have we left her? 

Have we prospered so much we have forgotten it was our freedom which enabled our abundance?

Ronald Reagan famously quipped, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction." If the symbols of America accurately reflect the change in thought, understanding, and allegiance of the American people, we may be close to finding out if Reagan was right.

(click on photos to enlarge)   

Comments

[Joe Macartney]

Would it be fair to point out that "we the people" are, by extension, the government? Democratically elected government is the net result of exercising the voting franchise. The mere fact that a particular flavour of government does not prevail in any voting cycle doesn't make disavowing the resulting government a logical alternative. In for a dime, in for a dollar.

[Ameen DeRaj]

Joe,

Your comments would be fair if "government" functioned the way it was originally designed by the founding fathers. "Government" is now highjacked by a few individuals and corporations resulting in a fascist state. It has nothing to do with the present flavour of government. The two parties are the same "shit" but different piles. Only when more people realize this fact we can even have a chance at change.

[Cathy - Team Rascals]

Joe,

The challenge with "we the people" being, by extension, the government, is several faceted in perspective. Let me see if I can start to break some of it down for you.

1. Our government, be it local, state or national, is layered in beurocracy. It is tied in a stranglehold of agencies, rules, regulations and red tape. Nowhere did the framers of the Constitution write in for how to deal with it. It is a bloated and overfed dragon the government just keeps feeding.

2. Government contractors, who do what agencies don't want to do. These add yet another layer to the mess. (I work for one, so I know this from the inside. We do what our state doesn't want to in managing one of its programs. They pay our company very well for our efficiency and expertise.)

3. Lobbyists and special interests. They taint offices with enticements. They spend millions to get what their boards have decided is best for their power base, whether or not it is best for the country. And they drive the "Poor ME" victim mentality that pushes what could have been compassion into just another bloated social program.

4. The elective system itself. Politicians spend almost as much as 2 years getting elected, depending on the office, and then waste our tax money sending home letters and cards telling us how well they think they're doing, so we'll elect them again in 2 or 3 more years. Term limits at all levels would be a good place to start work fixing here!

4. The media. We have a cult of politicians and talking heads that mostly tend to be liberal, prolifigate with our tax dollars and uncaring of our traditional foreign obligations, in the light of their own agendas. The majority of the media worships at their feet, bringing us the latest sound bites as if it were manna from the heavens or some new commandments from God Himself.

5. The politicians themselves. They are, for the most part, wealthy and in this for a career. The framers of the Constitution wanted citizen-servers, people who left their lives and homes at a distinct sacrifice to themselves to come and do their term of service, before returning home to what they had left behind. They wanted people of honor, character, strength and dignity, time-tested and well seasoned. They didn't say so in so many words, but if you look at who they were, they wanted what a majority of them were: elders in their churches, scholars and respected community leaders at home. Find more than a handful of them in our current crop in Washington or any state, if you can!

The system we have now is different from what it was originally. Many of us want the old one back. I believe that is the point of this artice. To throw up our hands and say the problem is too big and we just can't fix it is just a defeatist copout. If anyone had said that to our American forefathers during the time of the Revolution or when the Constitution was being written, they would have been called a Tory, a traitor or worse. Today, that person would be called a realist. We have indeed lost something. Our choice is either to stand with our heads bowed in shame before our forefathers, or to gird our loins, take up the battle and change things. The choice is ultimately, as it always is, up to you.

[Phyllis Hoff]

Chris:

I could not agree more. On YouTube, there is a gentleman, WTP Chairman Bob Schulz that I think you will want to hear. You can find it under:

CC2009 Continental Congress 2009 NPC Press Conference

[David P from Team Rascals]

Colonel Davy Crockett,famous frontiersman, served his district in Tennessee in the House of Representatives in the 1820s and 1830s, when the republic was still young. After a fire in Georgetown, which he helped fight, he and his fellow Congressmen voted to supply federal relief money to the afflicted area.
Upon his return to his district to run for reelection, he was rebuked by a citizen whe reminded him that the Constitution gave no authority to spend taxpayer money on charity, and that Col. Crockett clearly didn't understand the Constitution, and so would not have his vote.
To Col. Crockett's credit, he accepted the rebuke and changed his ways.
Safeguarding our liberty, and the Constitution which all our federal officials swear to PRESERVE, protect and defend, must be the duty of citizens, or politicians, as merely passing figures, will feel no need to limit their actions.
We need to fight for our and everyone's individual liberty, not their right to be saved or paid.
Why not demand that our representatives must understand the Constitution?