MONDAY, MAY 29, 2023 MEMORIAL DAY

 MONDAY, MAY 29, 2023 - MEMORIAL DAY

Let's start with a historial essay:  Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address;

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived, and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives, that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion - that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

*****

Let’s look at the last lines:

“That these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.”

Sometimes I wonder if that last phrase has died.  Government of the lobbyists; or government of the special interest groups; or government of the elite; or "the best government money can buy” seems to have taken over from regular people.

*****

The regulations say:

“Since 1975, the House has limited the number of full-time staff working in a Member's office to 18 permanent employees; in 1979 up to four FTEs who may work part time were authorized.”

And, furthermore:

“Members of the U.S. House of Representatives each represent a portion of their state known as a Congressional District, which averages 700,000 people.”

My District is Texas District 31 - The district includes the northern suburbs of Austin, as well as Fort Hood.

My representative in congress has over 800,000 people - and he has 18 permanent employees.  

Yes, I am part of some of the lobbying groups.  I’m retired, so AARP lobbies for me.  I was a teacher, so NEA lobbies for me.  I’m a woman, so various women’s groups lobby for me.  PFLAG lobbies for me.  Various religious groups may think they are lobbying for me.

So, if I call and want to say something to my representative on gun control, I probably will be switched to a staffer (or maybe even just told “Thank you”).  But if AARP calls and wants to say something to my representative on senior issues, there is a greater likelihood they might get connected to the actual representative.  

We have become so large and so diverse, that “government of, by, and for the people” is just unwieldy to operate.  If 10% of my congressmen’s constituencies call - that would be 80,000 calls.  Even if just 1% call, that still is 8,000.  Think of that -  if 1% called and each person took 1 minute, that would be 133 hours.  If my congressman works 40 hours a week, that would be over 3 weeks of just answering phone calls and not attending sessions or committee meetings.

Now, my congressman is a member of a political party.  While he might get 8,000 phone calls or 8,000 emails or 8,000 letters (which is still just 1% of his constituent base) and he decides to support an action - but that his political party is against that action, he will probably opt NOT to support the action.  He could be stripped of his committee assignments - or lose some seniority if he goes against his party.  Maybe a few times he can go against the party, but too many times, he might get censored by his party.

So, it isn’t necessarily government of the people - but government of the political party.  Likewise if (say) NRA’s political action committee gives 10 million dollars for my congressmen's reelection campaign, and he votes against the desires of the NRA, he could lose the money that might keep him in office.  So, we have government of the lobbying group.  

At Texas’ border there are millions of potential Americans wanting to come into our country.  These people have no congressman, no vote - and no money - and “too bad, so sad”, my congressman wants to keep them out.  

So, on this day, when we remember the war dead from our wars - and may remember Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, highlighting “government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth” - it seems like that concept already has perished!!!

*****

But, maybe crossing over into the Spiritual Realm, I can still pray and I believe that God hears me.  (And, unfortunately he isn’t going to give me a pony!!!) <grin>

LOVE WINS
LOVE TRANSFORMS
KAREN WHITE, ©, MEMORIAL DAY, MAY 29, 2023