By Sam Frescoe
http://samfrescoeproject.blogspot.com/
#SamFrescoe
Seven months ago I went on the blogosphere record saying, “Hallelujah! The election is over!” Looking back, I recall having much company regarding the sentiment. On the other hand, I’m also on the record saying, “I was unsure what the electorate just did.”
Between the election and the inauguration I posted an
article titled “Who
Will “Make America Great Again”? Not Trump – The People Will!” In this article
I openly criticized the common citizen for how they seemed to internalize
campaign messaging. I was particularly concerned by what I heard in common
places, day-to-day. “Trump is going to make America great again!” was the
common theme of discourse. “Trump will get the government back on track for us,”
was an equally common sentiment. In the article I offered a countering view:
“The President is just that, and nothing more. Not a ruler, monarch, messiah,
hero, king, sovereign, tsar, raja, liege, emperor, majesty, or lord.” The
People alone had the power to redirect America onto a new course. – Readers (as
those in the store check-out line) were quick to respond.
There were those that agreed regarding the role of The
People.
TEC wrote, “DAMN STRAIGHT WE
WILL!!!!!! It’s OUR DUTY!!”
CA advised, “The people must stay
focused. We've ignored facts for too long!”
MM offered, “[It’s] worth the
effort to read the Constitution. The fundamentals are terrific.”
MT warned, “Depending on who the
American people put in office ....The Fault of the American people can make the
Country fail again.”
JP instructed, “The Founders never
once relied on powerful men to voluntarily part with that power.”
AW offered, “The best the man can
do is lead a team [for] removing government and psychological obstacles.”
KO acknowledged, “Cult of
personality does not solve issues.”
VT simply stated, “His
administration is a good start.”
Conversely, there were those that disagreed.
JM, “Anybody following Trump knows
he's been the working man's champion.”
KC, “Just electing Trump will help
make America Great again.”
CL, “President-Elect Trump is the
tool of the people.”
FS, “The point is, he will get the
government out of our way.”
JCH, “America is great already, we
will continue until it's better than it ever was.”
MVZ, “We couldn't by ourselves.”
PH, “You are right, of course, but
Obama was a "single man" who did a pretty good job grievously harming
America.”
Others offered a nuanced view.
KO, “It's a false premise. Nothing
will change.”
MF, “I think you are
underestimating the essential need to reset the tone from the top and reset the
relationship between government and governed.”
FO, “Correct. Trump is but an
enabler.”
DG, “Combined efforts are needed.”
RL, “Every election we face same
uncertainties…it's a gamble.”
SW, “The so called leaders on the
left are already saying they will not work with him unless he conforms to their
way of thinking.”
PB said, “The proof that the
American people can survive the charm and appeal of one man, (Obama) gives me
confidence that we'll survive a Trump presidency.”
Some expressed a desire for leadership.
AW, “No but Trump could lay the
foundation for it (crosses fingers).”
DL, “Of course the people will, but
a leader is needed.”
PB, “All great movements require a
great leader.”
PK, “A good leader will help in the
effort.”
DB, “Leadership is the key to any
successful effort of this size.”
BB, “To get yourself out of a hole
you have to first stop digging.”
VC, “Yes but with his leadership he
will help Americans make this happen!”
CG, “Donald J Trump is a proven
leader.”
JD, “I'm glad he is in charge. We
now have a chance.”
Some seemed content to be subordinate.
JR, “Trump will be the catalyst if
he can remove the chains from us...regulations, taxes, etc.”
CU, “The people can only make America great again with a strong…leader.”
CB, “But Trump will allow the people to make America great again.”
JHC, “A LEADER has been needed, who has the ability and power to accomplish things that individual citizens cannot.”
EL, “We just need his voice and leadership to show us how we can do this!”
MB, “He leads ....we help...do our part!”
CU, “The people can only make America great again with a strong…leader.”
CB, “But Trump will allow the people to make America great again.”
JHC, “A LEADER has been needed, who has the ability and power to accomplish things that individual citizens cannot.”
EL, “We just need his voice and leadership to show us how we can do this!”
MB, “He leads ....we help...do our part!”
And, as before, I find myself openly criticizing the
electorate.
To those “Trump will get the government
back on track for us” people…is the power of government shifting towards your
wants and desires?
To those that “follow the leader” people…is
your measure of inclusion increasing?
To those “strong leadership” people…is
the power of your leader still enough?
To those that discredit the power
of The People…can you do more today than yesterday?
As current events distract, and (once again) the evidence of
past actions comes to light, I have a new question, “Has the electorate learned
anything?”
So What?!
Without consent of The People, the government is powerless.
With or without the consent of the government, The People remain powerful;
otherwise the government would have no reason to garner favor. Therefore, the source
of government power is The People. And yet, because “men are not angels”
(Federalist 51, paraphrased), some government is necessary. – With this irony in
mind, let’s review the all-American, freedom-loving, liberty-protecting
solution that is the Constitution of the United States.
First, and foremost, the construction of government
enshrined in the Constitution (to include the Bill of Rights) is that of a constrained
republic, not an empowered democracy. This is why it is said that the United
States is a nation of laws; not a nation of whims.
The United States of America was
founded on the ideal of individual self-governance. To that end, the Founders
ratified a Constitution that codified an arrangement of national government
with enumerated and constrained powers. It happens that the Constitution and
Bill of Rights codify a republic form of limited government, according to the
consent of The People. – The Constitution and Bill of Rights are our nation’s
foundation which defines a government structure to implement principles which
serves all the country’s citizens and protects our freedoms.
Second, because our nation is a republic, The People are not
called to elect their leaders; they are called to select those that represent fundamental
interests: Representatives for interests of The People, Senators for interests
of the States, the President for execution of the laws, and Judges for nullifying
the power of “those who are loud” over “those who are quiet.” – It is this republican
arrangement that empowers The People. Simply stated, because the accent of
individuals to power is made just by The People, it is The People who are the
LEADERS and those they select who are the FOLLOWERS.
The purpose of the arrangement of
American government is to establish a political economy that derails, disrupts,
and denies individuals that seek to govern the population according to their
intentions. – “All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts
pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it is
magnetic to the corruptible,” Frank Herbert. – Never forget what all good
intentioned individuals seeking power have in common; they all intend to
govern.
Third, because The People hold the keys to power (their
votes), they are responsible for being savvy regarding civic participation, and
well-informed as to the role and effects of government. In my view, this means
each citizen is singularly responsible for moving from “having an opinion” to
“having an informed position.”
Federalism: Government by consent
of The People (Ninth Amendment). Power of the Federal (other than as numerated)
is subordinate to the States (Tenth Amendment).
“Through education the student
rises to self-government.” – Hillsdale College
“American freedom rests on the
assumption that individuals can govern themselves.” – Dr. Mickey Craig,
Hillsdale College, Professor of Politics
Fourth, for a freedom-loving society (one in which The
People hold most dear the ability of individuals to lead their lives according
to their needs, wants, and desires) to flourish, it is in the mutual
self-interest of The People to commonly embrace and empower our founding
principles unto ourselves; and among the first of these principles are life,
liberty, and the pursuit of wealth.
In a freedom-loving society of
republican governance with democratic processes, to realize harmony, each
individual must be allowed to follow his or her own preferences as long as they
do not detract from another's freedom. People thus need to cooperate by
tolerating one another and forgoing coercion and violence.
“In sum, liberalism's ends are life and property, and its means are liberty and toleration. This
is a description of an “enlightened” way of governance.” – Unknown
Going Forward
As I’ve said before, and will again without apology, the
truth is that the greatness of America is restored, maintained, and increased by
the combined effort of the American people. The greatness of America is not assured
by any one person. The greatness of America is assured by hard-working,
freedom-loving, liberty-protecting, respectfully-united Americans.
Your View
Your thoughts and perspectives are important. I invite you
to tell me what you believe with the comment section.
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