“Nobody tells me what my policies are.”
While at the gym this morning I was listening to National Public Radio on the NPR app on my phone. As usual, there was a lot of news which piqued my interest and much which made me sigh while I silently identified with the fact that we very creative humans can also have a very myopic focus when it comes to creating a community which honors the needs of all of its residents. One such example of the later was a quote of a governor in response to disagreements with the state legislative about some items in the budget. (To be fair to everyone the disagreements between the governor and the state legislature are much deeper than the budget.) (The quote as stated in the title was “Nobody tells me what my policies are.”) My immediate question and thoughts were, “What? I thought that the governor and the state legislatures work for the citizens of the state.” To be sure there are a variety of citizens with a variety of opinions in this very populous state which encompasses one of the major cities in the United States and many farming communities. It cannot be easy to balance the needs, prejudices, and special interest groups who may pay for election campaigns and the beliefs of this cornucopia of citizens. I have no idea of how one fairly balances the needs and desires of this diverse group of people. Yet, it is the duty of our elected officials to make an attempt to do just that. Although the elected officials have a duty to come as close as possible to making decisions based on his campaign commitments, they also have a duty to take advice from the state legislature which represents the same diverse group of people. Certainly, questions such as how to balance a budget when there clearly is not enough money to take care everyone’s needs and desires are complicated. Decisions have to be made. Aging infrastructure across these United States is a grave concern of many. Educating the next generation of future leaders to be creative and just thinkers is enormously important. Caring for those who are unable to function, those who have been replaced by robots and those who have been trained in other countries as well as those who we have determined should now live as long as humanly possible present challenges to the most creative and compassionate thinkers.
Yet, as the current campaign in cities such as Boston to stop mistreatment of people based on perceived differences such as religion or culture, demonstrate it is time to think in terms of “We the people.” If one reads the Declaration of Independence one quickly is reminded that the pronoun “he” is most prominent in the first part of this document. It is then replaced with the pronoun we. The later part of the document says:
“And for the support of this Declaration with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”
A song recorded by “A Tribe Called Quest” is entitled “We the People.” The chorus of the song is which brings attention to the divisive message many are hearing is:
“All you Black folks, you must go
All you Mexicans, you must go
And all you poor folks, you must go
Muslims, and gays, boy, we hate your ways
So, all you bad folks, you must go”
Whether the message of eviction is overt or covert, the effect is the same. We the people must decide the policies. We the people must stand up for the rights and needs of all of us. We the people is not the special interest groups nor the groups who directly and indirectly are advocating the delusional message of Aryan or white supremacy. We the people does include those who are fearful of “the others.” We the people does include the special interest groups whose addictions to power and money are by design exclusionary and narcissistic. We the people must do our best to share our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.
It is interesting to me that there is indeed “nothing new under the sun.” We have known this and other truths for many generations and, yet, often our fears take us far away from this base.
It seems that one of the essential truths to which we always return is that which I have often quoted. It is the quote which is attributed to the pastor, Martin Niemöeller:
“In Germany, the Nazis first came for the Communists and I didn't speak up because I wasn’t a communist. Then they came for the Jew and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, but I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me."
We the people can and must decide the policies which distribute “our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor. “The solution for how we do it may not be easy or simple, but it is essential if we are to survive and grow as a nation.” We know that we cannot “step into the same river twice.” (Heraclitus) We have tried to make laws based on the fears which are evidenced in our prejudices and our attachments/addiction. They did not work then and they will not work now.
“And for the support of this Declaration with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”
Written August 2, 2017
While at the gym this morning I was listening to National Public Radio on the NPR app on my phone. As usual, there was a lot of news which piqued my interest and much which made me sigh while I silently identified with the fact that we very creative humans can also have a very myopic focus when it comes to creating a community which honors the needs of all of its residents. One such example of the later was a quote of a governor in response to disagreements with the state legislative about some items in the budget. (To be fair to everyone the disagreements between the governor and the state legislature are much deeper than the budget.) (The quote as stated in the title was “Nobody tells me what my policies are.”) My immediate question and thoughts were, “What? I thought that the governor and the state legislatures work for the citizens of the state.” To be sure there are a variety of citizens with a variety of opinions in this very populous state which encompasses one of the major cities in the United States and many farming communities. It cannot be easy to balance the needs, prejudices, and special interest groups who may pay for election campaigns and the beliefs of this cornucopia of citizens. I have no idea of how one fairly balances the needs and desires of this diverse group of people. Yet, it is the duty of our elected officials to make an attempt to do just that. Although the elected officials have a duty to come as close as possible to making decisions based on his campaign commitments, they also have a duty to take advice from the state legislature which represents the same diverse group of people. Certainly, questions such as how to balance a budget when there clearly is not enough money to take care everyone’s needs and desires are complicated. Decisions have to be made. Aging infrastructure across these United States is a grave concern of many. Educating the next generation of future leaders to be creative and just thinkers is enormously important. Caring for those who are unable to function, those who have been replaced by robots and those who have been trained in other countries as well as those who we have determined should now live as long as humanly possible present challenges to the most creative and compassionate thinkers.
Yet, as the current campaign in cities such as Boston to stop mistreatment of people based on perceived differences such as religion or culture, demonstrate it is time to think in terms of “We the people.” If one reads the Declaration of Independence one quickly is reminded that the pronoun “he” is most prominent in the first part of this document. It is then replaced with the pronoun we. The later part of the document says:
“And for the support of this Declaration with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”
A song recorded by “A Tribe Called Quest” is entitled “We the People.” The chorus of the song is which brings attention to the divisive message many are hearing is:
“All you Black folks, you must go
All you Mexicans, you must go
And all you poor folks, you must go
Muslims, and gays, boy, we hate your ways
So, all you bad folks, you must go”
Whether the message of eviction is overt or covert, the effect is the same. We the people must decide the policies. We the people must stand up for the rights and needs of all of us. We the people is not the special interest groups nor the groups who directly and indirectly are advocating the delusional message of Aryan or white supremacy. We the people does include those who are fearful of “the others.” We the people does include the special interest groups whose addictions to power and money are by design exclusionary and narcissistic. We the people must do our best to share our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.
It is interesting to me that there is indeed “nothing new under the sun.” We have known this and other truths for many generations and, yet, often our fears take us far away from this base.
It seems that one of the essential truths to which we always return is that which I have often quoted. It is the quote which is attributed to the pastor, Martin Niemöeller:
“In Germany, the Nazis first came for the Communists and I didn't speak up because I wasn’t a communist. Then they came for the Jew and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, but I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me."
We the people can and must decide the policies which distribute “our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor. “The solution for how we do it may not be easy or simple, but it is essential if we are to survive and grow as a nation.” We know that we cannot “step into the same river twice.” (Heraclitus) We have tried to make laws based on the fears which are evidenced in our prejudices and our attachments/addiction. They did not work then and they will not work now.
“And for the support of this Declaration with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”
Written August 2, 2017
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