Lift the Fog

Where I live, the Department of Defense (DoD) and other federal agencies are the largest employers in town.  Practically everyone in the area is employed by a federal agency, federal agency contractor, or is related to someone employed by one of the two.  So, just about every conversation turns to sequestration and its effects on people and the local economy. 

Most people are bracing for an anticipated 20 – 25% loss of pay due to furloughs.  Many local, non-defense employers are preparing for a down-turn in the local economy by slowing or suspending hiring and taking measures to mitigate the impacts from a potential loss of revenue.  I was involved in a discussion concerning the local economic impacts, when one of the participants, whom I’ll call Bob (not his real name) wondered why the sequestration cuts were structured as they are.  I referred to a recent article by Dr. Thomas Sowell, Budget Politics, in which Dr. Sowell states that in politics, the items offered up for budget cuts are the items, if cut, are most likely to cause public alarm.  Because of the public alarm over the proposed cuts, the cuts quite often never occur and any meaningful cuts in wasteful spending don’t happen.  In this case, President Obama offered up cuts he believed to be so onerous that Congress would back away from any more budget cuts.

Another participant pointed out a Wall Street Journal article that reported that Republicans in Congress had proposed a plan prior to the beginning of the sequestration to allow the President to target the spending cuts toward low-priority programs, but ban any tax increases. However, the same article reported that President Obama threatened to veto it.  Bob was surprised to hear that, but even more surprised to learn that the sequestration idea originally came from the White House.  Bob just couldn’t understand why the President would play politics with budget cuts.

I had a hard time understanding Bob’s surprise.  I grew up in an era where people would vote a straight Democratic ticket, regardless of the character or competency of the Democratic candidate, so I comprehend that some people are blindly devoted to party ideology, both on the left and right.  However, Bob is not registered with any political party, so I don’t believe he’s a party idealist.    I think the problem is that Bob is incredibly naïve about what goes on in politics.

Now, Bob is a smart guy.  He has advanced degrees in technical fields, but admits he’s not interested in politics.  I am afraid he’s in a fog, naïve as to what goes on in Washington or how the voters in this country are slowly relinquishing power to the federal government.  What’s bothersome is that many American’s are just like Bob.

Our founding fathers entrusted us with a republican form of government, where the power of government is derived from the people.  The US Constitution defines the roles and responsibilities of the Federal government, but there is nothing that outlines the roles and responsibilities of we, the people.

Ask someone about good citizenship and you’ll likely hear about the rights and duties of a citizen, such as obeying laws, paying taxes, serving on a jury, and voting.  Some may even mention community service or service in the armed forces.  But, the duties and responsibilities of US citizenship go beyond that.

Good citizenship requires an understanding of our government, its purpose, how it operates and what it’s doing. It requires us to be educated on important issues and to keep our elected officials aware of our viewpoints and concerns.  The purpose of the Federal government is not to provide us with food, clothing, shelter, or fund our lifestyle.  It’s not the responsibility of government to protect us from hazards and misfortunes and it’s not supposed to redistribute wealth or try to make life fair.  Its purpose and its power are enumerated in the US Constitution.  It’s a good idea to read it and know what it says.

Get an understanding of how Congress works.  The US House of Representatives has a great website to learn about Congress and the legislative process (http://www.house.gov/content/learn/).  Also learn about “earmarks”, “riders”, and “pork-barrel legislation”, actions that legislators sometimes take, often deceptive in nature, to fund projects and programs that serve local or special interests and not the country as a whole.

Monitor what Congress is doing.  Both the Senate and the House websites (www.senate.gov and www.house.gov) have links to Congressional activities and schedules.  The Library of Congress’ website has a link to current legislation summaries and status (http://thomas.loc.gov/home/thomas.php)

Educate yourself on the issues.  Talk to your friends, neighbors, and co-workers about the issues.  Listen to candidate debates and know their positions on legislation and federal issues.  Know which issues can be addressed locally and which are national issues.  And remember that some of the issues are not the responsibility of the Federal government.

Become a critical thinker, capable of using reason, observation, and reflection to decide on a course of action or belief, especially given the overwhelming amount of information available, for which much of it is biased in one direction or another.  Critical thinking is required to determine whether the claims and statements from Congress, the President, and other leaders are true, false, partially true, or simply misleading.

Communicate with your elected officials.  Emails and letters to Congress and the President; letters to the editor of the local newspaper; and signing petitions are all good ways to let officials know your viewpoints.  Don’t be afraid to tell them how they should vote on pending legislation.  And let them know you are paying attention and willing to vote them out of office if they don’t do their job.

Good citizenship requires involvement beyond voting and community service.  To maintain a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people”, we have to be engaged, educated, and involved.

President Obama said, “If people are paying attention, then we get good government and good leadership. And when we get lazy, as a democracy and civically start taking shortcuts, then it results in bad government and politics.“ Get out of the fog and get involved.  The country is depending on you to be a good citizen.