There is a limit, and you have reached it!
This was one of my father’s favorite statements. Translated, if you do that one more time, you will not be able to sit down for a week!
If we could only get our politicians to understand their limits and provide the required consequences if they exceed their limits. The two key words in this statement are “we” and “consequences!”
“WE”: The citizens of the United States! The citizens and only the citizens can do what is necessary to save this country from the “Ruling class”!
“Citizenship is what makes a republic; monarchies can get along without it. What keeps republic on its legs is good citizenship”― Mark Twain (1906)
For all practical purposes, only the citizens can hire and fire politicians. It makes no difference if the politician is running for mayor, president, or any other elected office.
Yet, the average citizen is ill-informed about the major issues of the day. Why?
There is little disagreement that the mainstream media and cable media are little more than propaganda machines. Thoughts At Large questions just how new the phenomenon is. Especially when you see this famous quote:
“If you don't read the newspaper, you're uninformed. If you read the newspaper, you're misinformed."
― Mark Twain (1835–1910)
Since newspapers were the major source of news in Mark Twain’s time, it seems like little has changed.
CONSEQUENCES: The only effective way to hold an elected official accountable is to not reelect them. Since the major priority of any politician is to get reelected, if they know the majority of their constituents are paying attention, they can no longer ignore the people they are supposed to represent. Again, the key part is that “the majority of their constituents are paying attention.”
With modern technology, there is absolutely no reason to be uninformed or not be able to communicate with your elected representative.
There are numerous ways to hear both sides of the issue. There are numerous organizations on all sides of political issues that can be contacted for information and ways to get involved.
We all have “smartphones,” and use them.
The phone number and e-mail address of every one of your elected representatives should be on your smartphone. When they do something, you are in favor of, call them and let them know. When they do something you are not in favor of, call them and let them know. Don’t do it once or twice, but on a consistent basis. Let them know you are paying attention and that you will hold them accountable at the next election. This takes being informed and becoming involved, but it really does not take that much of your time. The investment is small, but the returns are huge. The consequences of not being involved are devastating!
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Tom Vaillancourt is a U.S. Navy Vietnam Veteran. He is a retired small business owner and is married with two children and two grandchildren.