Yeah, What Ben Said...

On Sept 17, 1787, at around 4:00 in the afternoon, as Benjamin Franklin was leaving the building where, after four months of hard work, our Constitution had been completed and signed, a lady approached him and asked him what kind of government the Constitutional convention created. A very old, very tired, and very wise Benjamin Franklin replied; "A Republic, ma'am if you can keep it."
Notice that Mr. Franklin did not respond with “if we can keep it”. He responded to this citizen’s question with the pronoun “you”. A collective YOU I would think, and what an appropriate response to such a question that was.

In my last installment on this blog entitled “ Main Entry: blame” I attempted to explain how blame is a label we must take unto ourselves as a means of redemption and for doing what is right, and how it is also used by career politicians as a weapon or shield.

In attempt to keep blame in its right place and in its true meaning, it is MY opinion that “We the People”, we − ourselves, the citizens, the electorate, all of us − deserve a share of blame for what our government has become. We are like that lady who approached Franklin wondering what had been given to us. Maybe, probably, we − like her − did not listen to him.

I think that a lot of us with different political stripes may agree that our government has not provided an atmosphere for our businesses to be able to thrive in, and thus our citizens do not have the opportunities for employment that we, quite frankly, are accustomed to having. We live in a global economy whether we like it or not. We have to compete. I know that Americans are, in their heart and soul, the best of the best. I truly believe that.

Yet when the topics of global opportunity and employment or illegal immigration are debated, I often hear two respective narratives from us (the people). They are as follows: “I’m against American companies outsourcing our jobs overseas.” And, “there are just some jobs that some Americans won’t do.”

It seems to me that there are about 435 jobs in the U.S House of Representatives that we outsource to the “Ruling Class” every two years. There are literally hundreds of everyday people in our congressional districts that are more than capable of executing the powers of Congress than those who are walking the capitol’s halls currently.

Are there some jobs that Americans just won’t do? Yes, I think that is so. But rather than there being some jobs that seem beneath most Americans’ willingness to earn an honest living, there also seems to be a group of jobs that seem to be too elevated for us common folk to aspire too. These are the jobs that the two major Parties currently dominate, if not monopolize, and fail at with regularity. Why is that? Our EMPLOYEES in Congress have demonstrated that they cannot be trusted with the reigns of government in a Republic. Yet we consistently outsource our responsibilities to greedy partisan hacks, and we don’t want to take on the job of maintaining our own representative government. It is time to look into our mirrors, and accept our blame of apathy and irresponsibility. Going to the polls every two years is the very least we can do.

I hear your rebuttals:
“But, what can I do to change things?”
”I have my own life to worry about.”
“I don’t understand politics and its boring.”
“That’s what we elect them to do”
… etc…

Are you prepared to keep making excuses while this One Nation Under God declines? How will you respond to the diminishing chances for your children’s and grandchildren’s prospects for safety, prosperity, and freedom? That is what is happening right before your eyes.

Allow me to remind you of Mr. Franklin’s answer to the inquiring citizen, "A Republic, ma'am if you can keep it." It’s up to you and me to engage the political process if we are to remain free. Our inaction in our civic duty will be our own downfall.

We can govern ourselves! GOOOH is providing a process to change our government in a very profound way. Through a very deliberate process, you and I can sit face to face with those who may be our future representatives. We can take an active role in choosing the members of the Congress, and thus establishing true representation for ourselves while bypassing parties and special interests.

Edmund Burke once said “Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.”
Will you do nothing in this moment of our nation’s life? We can keep our republic if we are willing to do a little more than just the very least of our civic duty.

Get involved by joining GOOOH @ www.goooh.com