Last week we celebrated another national birthday. That makes 236 since the original 4th of July, Independence Day. I took the occasion to go back and read the Declaration of Independence. Since so many of us, and so very many politicians, are fond of referencing this marvelous document, it is good to remind ourselves of what’s actually in it. It is a truly remarkable document. Thomas Jefferson was the chief author and he was masterful in laying out the case for independence from the Crown of England. The first part of the document sets out the philosophical basis under which people form government and why it is justifiable to form new governments when certain conditions exist. In doing so, Jefferson laid the foundations of our values as a people.
The next part of the Declaration is a long, specific list of grievances against the King of England and his treatment of the people living in the thirteen colonies. I noted that none of the list of particulars mentioned (the lack of) democracy per se. They were specific indictments based on particular wrongs that usually accompany the treatment of people by a dictatorial leader. The last sentence of the declaration is the one I paid the most attention to. It reads in part, “…we mutually pledge our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.” The Declaration was then signed by fifty-six delegates, representing the thirteen colonies. Many of the signers did indeed lose their fortunes and/or their lives. The men who signed this Declaration were taking a tremendous risk in order to secure a form of government based on the consent of the governed. These were brave men taking a bold step to form a government made of laws and based on the good of the people.
No doubt the times were contentious, and there was serious political rancor and debate. What could be more serious than to stand against the most powerful nation in the world and declare yourself free of them? However in the final analysis their pledge was mutual. They were taking an oath to each other to stand for the right of the people to govern themselves. They were declaring their independence from Great Britton, but just as importantly they were declaring their inter-dependence on each other. They knew they must stand together against the British, or they could not prevail. They knew that no matter what their differences they had an obligation to come together in the end to accomplish their goal of forming a new nation. What a contrast to the political leaders we see today.
The idea of mutually pledging our efforts towards the governance of our founding father’s idea of a great new nation is lost. Political divisiveness has taken the place of a mutual pledge to serve the people. The Republicans in the Congress, almost to a person, have taken a pledge to Grover Norquist that seems to supersede their oath of office. Under threat of a primary challenge to their precious congressional seat, these Republicans have vowed never to vote for a tax- even when they privately admit we need revenues. Our founders risked far more than a political contest- and I believe they would be ashamed of those who are now in charge of living out their legacy of a representative Republic.
This issue was even more keenly brought into focus last week as the debate over health care and the Supreme Court decision on the Affordable Health Care Act was boiling over in State capitals and on the news. The gist of it was this: The Supreme Court announced its decision UPHOLDING the law passed a few years ago. In response several Congressmen, all R’s- and several Senators, all R’s have publically stated that a Supreme Court decision doesn’t make something “constitutional”. Actually that’s exactly what it means. Again I invoke the founders, and the framers who authored our Constitution. Today’s political leaders will say anything with no regard for truth. I suggest you read Leonard Pitt”s column from last week on the topic of truthfulness in government. Pitts does a great job of explaining this problem. I have to believe that those who risked everything to form this nation would not approve of what our government has become.
In the ultimate act of disregard for governance- or mutual support of our nation’s laws, several Republican Governors are now refusing to implement the law. I’m not sure what authority a Governor has to unilaterally decide, for political reasons that they stand above the laws enacted by Congress, signed by the Chief Executive, and upheld by the Supreme Court. In truth, they don’t have that authority and they will never be able to deny their states’ citizens the same laws and protections the rest of the country will have. But, they can sure sound tough. All this posturing is over the argument that the Affordable Health Care includes a “tax”- as opposed to a “penalty” if people choose not to have insurance. It seems a silly distinction, since the financial burden is the same either way. It’s like arguing whether a traffic fine is a tax or a penalty for speeding. Either way you pay, and either way there is a way to avoid the cost-follow the law!
It’s easy to get ourselves lost in the weeds of the political debate over tax vs. penalty, during this contentious political season. Our politics have become so bitter and polarizing that we have truly lost the idea of inter-dependence the founders had. Only four years ago most Americans saw health care reform as the top domestic priority for the country. Why? Because our system doesn’t work well, and it is crippling our economy, and our personal financial security. Last week Senator McConnell again said we have “the finest health care in the world.” Not true- we have the best medical practices, but not the best system. We have the most expensive health care, we have highest percentage of citizens without coverage of any major nation- but we are way down the list of good health care outcomes as a nation. About 45,000 Americans die prematurely every year because they don’t have health care coverage. If foreign terrorists killed 45,000 of us every year we would go to war with the whole planet to stop it. Now we are arguing over tax vs. penalty- while the 45,000 continue to die per annum and nobody even mentions why this got started in the first place. The real debate should return to the issue of improving the health care of the nation. Obama Care was a start- now we should get on with the business of improving it.
Americans pride ourselves on our Independence but refuse to acknowledge our inter-dependence on one another- an unfortunate cultural trait. Part of that inter-dependence is the relationship between the citizens and the institutions of a government that exists by the “consent of the Governed”. The founders new that. The framers of the Constitution knew it by saying in the preamble of the Constitution “in order to form a more perfect Union”. Our citizens need to demand that our elected leaders stop pointing the finger of blame at the other party and begin honoring the heritage and traditions of those who formed this country, by acting together to govern in the interest of the People.
Benjamin Franklin said: “We must all hang together gentlemen, else we will assuredly all hang separately”
Thanks for looking in.
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