Mimi Steel, Exclusive to the California Political News and Views, 12/26/11
As the New Year begins, it is traditional to reflect on the past and look forward to the future. It is a time to assess where we have been and where we want to go, a time to determine priorities and resolve to accomplish them. From the perspective of one new to political activism, this is a daunting task. Reflecting on the past brings the realization of what a unique and remarkable country the United States of America truly is. To begin the US Constitution with the words “WE THE PEOPLE” in bold font was absolutely unheard of, revolutionary, in the annals of European history. Think about that. We were colonies that came from countries ruled by kings and queens. The elite owned the land, made the rules, and dictated the course of most people’s lives. You were born in to a class from which there was no escape. You were either one of the very few powerful or one of the serfs. There was little in between.
Then the upstart colonies came up with an idea, the grand experiment, that man could rule himself. They unleashed the genius of the human mind by instituting the rule of law, by laying the groundbreaking philosophy that all men were equal under that law, and by allowing people the right to pursue happiness (invent things, acquire property, and enjoy the fruits of their own labor). They limited government and mankind thrived.
Unfortunately we are now on the verge of squandering this magnificent gift of our Founders. Not only do we not appreciate it, too many of our fellow citizens distain it, too many of us are complacent, willing to let others do the heavy lifting of government. Let someone else deal with it. I’m too busy with my career. I am raising my family. I don’t have time. Great excuses abound.
While most of us have been blissfully ignorant of government, our opposition has become increasingly emboldened in their efforts to control government at all levels. And who can blame them? Those of us who want the government to leave us alone, tend not to get involved in politics. Those who think the government is the answer are the ones who show up at that city council meeting and all other levels of government demanding that the government do one thing or another that promotes their interests and most likely goes against the interests of the individual. The collective is ascendant in America. It’s for the greater good. Then we complain. We look around after all these years of our uninvolvement and wonder why things are the way are. It’s really quite simple. If you “cede” the field of battle, you lose. And right now, most of us have not even been aware that there was a battle being fought. Americans are fair-minded and trusting individuals generally. We elect people to office and assume that they will do the right thing. But if you don’t show up to support those people and policies or if you elect people with a different philosophy from yours because you could not be bothered to learn their positions on issues, you lose.
So here we are with a New Year upon us and many Americans starting to wake up to the realization that America is being fundamentally transformed in to something that is no longer a Representative Republic. We are in imminent danger of answering the question “Can man rule himself?” in the negative and turning over our god given rights to a handful of powerful elites who are happy to tell us how to live, where to live, and to control just about every aspect of our lives from what we eat to our health care.
We let this happen. Our self-absorption in our own lives has brought us to this point. There is no one to save us from this fate. The system was designed for WE THE PEOPLE. If WE THE PEOPLE are absent, the spoils go to the spoilers-those who see government as the solution to all problems. Every government solution chips away at man’s freedom. This is only going to get turned around if enough citizens get involved in their local communities. Very few of us have the money or connections to influence Presidential politics, Senate or Congressional politics, or even State Senate and Assembly positions. But we can influence our local city council. We can take an active role in city government. Many of these elections are won or lost by a few hundred votes. Most people don’t even bother to learn about local candidates and what they stand for. Yet local is where it is at.
As you make your New Year’s resolutions, I hope one of them will be to become a Community Organizer for the Constitution. Get involved in a local taxpayer association, homeowners association, 912 Group or Tea Party Group. Join up with people of like mind who want to preserve freedom, not subvert it. Your country needs you now more than ever before. And the only sacrifice on your part is to spend some of your precious time to insure the future of your children and grandchildren so they can live in freedom as you did. What is that worth?
You can join Mimi in Community Organizing for the Constitution through her website at www.bayarealiberty.org or on twitter @912CalGal.
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