Congress and the Constitution

The Constitution has surprisingly little information about the specific responsibilities for the individuals in Congress. At the time the document was drafted, I’m sure it seemed obvious (self evident, if you will). There were relatively few states and they were more-or-less in agreement on the broad strokes of the Constitution. Keeping that in mind, I suppose it’s understandable why it seems our government is run by idiot children—they don’t have a lot of guidance.

We have a congressman chased out of office because he was silly enough to have photographed and shared a portion of his anatomy. We have others who seem occasionally-incapable of driving sober who get a free pass. That hints at the third-grade mindset that drives so much of what politicians do. Either be consistent and fair or keep your mouth shut. Let’s also consider the relative badness of the infractions; DUI resulting in death is way worse than a Weiner pic.

What government is supposed to be, what we must make it become, is the very best we—the Nation—have to offer. Instead, we have rampant narcissism and cowardice driving adult-sized children to play the most expensive Blame Game in history. We’re in the middle of several crises and my representatives—for brevity’s sake, I mean all of Congress—seem more focused on cementing their reelection and pleasing their constituency. Admirable causes, both, but at what cost?

We consistently believe we’re better than a fair percentage of the world. To some extent, that’s a measurable thing, but we can always do better. We can always be better. It was the tireless push to improve and to grow and to never give up that helped bring America from an abandoned group of colonies to the colossus it has become.

To the liberals, I ask that you accept the unfortunate truth that not everyone can be helped. We can cast the widest and strongest net possible, but there will always be someone a little farther out. At some point, we must expect people to swim. I don’t know where that line is, but it exists. Trying to save everyone, especially those unwilling to help themselves (unwilling to swim) will bankrupt the country and pretty much defines Communism.

To the conservatives, I ask that you remember government is needed. People need to be governed and many deserve some help. That has to come from somewhere. Taxes are necessary. Whether on the rich or the poor is immaterial for this letter; taxes must exist and they must exist in sufficient magnitude to make a difference and keep America the great country it is. Anarchy cannot be managed.

To Congress, I want you to know that most people are decent souls and would be willing to pay a little more or get a little less if we had any certainty that you could be trusted with those decisions. I’m not against paying more taxes as an absolute, but I don’t want to do it until you can show you care about my money. Use it wisely and efficiently. Don’t be children. I also don’t mind paying less tax, but I want underprivileged students to be able to pursue their educations. There is a balance to be struck and I’m not qualified to find it. Good thing we have responsible, mature representatives to deal with that, right?

As citizens, it is our responsibility to remain informed and to push our representatives to pursue what’s important to us. It is then the representatives’ responsibility to temper those wants and needs with what is best for the nation. Let us remember the Preamble of the Constitution:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

And then let’s remember the Oath:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.

It’s clear to me that the Constitution was created to ensure the good of the nation balances against the good of the states. To be a representative in the US, one must take the Oath above, committing themselves to supporting and defending the Constitution without reservation, without evasion. The bickering back and forth pulls focus away from the national wellbeing. Doing that instead of dealing with larger national issues—evading it, perhaps—is wrong. It’s also petty, disingenuous, unprofessional, and immature.

My challenge to every member of Congress is to take a deep breath and a mental step back. If you take a reasoned (and, presumably, reasonable) stand on an issue and are ousted next term, you’ll still be making tens of thousands of dollars more than most of an ailing nation with better healthcare than most can afford for the rest of your lives. Not a bad deal for going down in history as the honest politician.

Mr. President, put their feet to the fire. Leading is hard and you’re surrounded by people who don’t necessarily want you to succeed. Your task is to set the national direction. The best-remembered Presidents are those who confronted great challenges with a consistent message and without fear or equivocation.

I haven’t decided if a boardroom or classroom is a better way to conceptualize government, but in either case, some people need to be quieted down so the boss (or teacher) can speak. That speaker, however, must be willing to step on toes and hurt feelings when either gets in the way of the goal.

Duty and Faith

E. J. Dionne Jr. authored an opinion in The Washington Post entitled “America’s Elites Have a Duty to the Rest of Us.”

What I want to talk about starts in paragraph three: “But a funny thing happened to the American ruling class: It stopped being concerned with the health of society as a whole and became almost entirely obsessed with money.” This, as opposed to everyone else who isn’t getting their proverbial panties in a wad over money. Indeed, the very epitomes of asceticism, they.

That’s a bit of a low blow with a dash of “apples to oranges,” but it gets at what I feel is Dionne’s thesis: it is the responsibility of the so-called ruling class to fork over their earnings to allow the government to support everyone else.

I would love to pay less taxes. I just swallowed my first payment to Uncle Sam that had a comma in it, so I’m quite anxious to get those rates down. On the other hand, I work with orphans all day long whose lifeblood is the Pell educational grant that’s on the chopping block. I feel the benefits of the public assistance programs every day, and they help thousands of people--orphan and otherwise--achieve their goals.

What I think we (really “We”--the nation) are realizing is that we don’t trust our government. Not in that crazy, black helicopter sense. In the way that you just stop inviting cousin Steve over to visit because too many things have gone missing. The government has consistently proven its inability to commit to progress. When we have a President anxious to be a leader, we get a Congress that’s too busy covering its own ass. When we get members of Congress trying to lead from within, we have a President too terrified of making a stand.

Why should I, socially-conscious citizen that I am, be anxious and feel obligated to throw more of my hard-earned money into Congress’ black hole? What this means in a policy argument, I have no idea. I’m not that guy. Who I am--with all my heart, who I seek to be--is a person able to support myself and, one day, others. Doing what’s necessary and right is rarely easy.

We don’t do these things because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win. In September, 1962, President John Kennedy used those words in a speech that kicked off the Space Race. Nearly 50 years later, where are those who would take up his banner?