Thursday, March 28, 2024

Calling ‘We the People’

The events of the past few days and weeks should be making Americans wonder what is going on.

In California, there have been three mass shootings in as many days. In Washington DC, the Department of the Treasury says the nation has reached its debt ceiling and House of Representatives is showing signs of not being a functional legislative body. In the Executive Branch, classified documents have been found at residences of both President Biden and former president Donald Trump and on Tuesday it was reported that classified documents had been found in the home of former vice president Mike Pence.

And that is probably just the tip of the iceberg.

It is somewhat ironic that all these events are happening in January and will likely continue into February. January and February are the months that we have federal holidays honoring three men who have contributed to the greatness and prestige of the United States.

Last week we remembered Dr. Martin Luther King. February brings us Presidents Day which is really a combination of two holidays celebrated earlier, George Washington’s birthday and Abraham Lincoln’s birthday.

Each of these men had a vision for America. King had a dream that the day would come when all people were brothers and sisters and not judged on the basis of the color of their skin. A day where there would be justice for everyone.

Washington led the new nation at a crucial time. During the War for Independence he had served the cause as its military leader. With the military victory won, he was given the task of setting about establishing its civilian leadership. He knew that not everyone in the new nation had been in favor of independence. Those who wished to remain a part of England now needed to be encouraged to support the United States.

Lincoln presided over the nation during a period of intense division. The nation was fighting a vicious Civil War that could very well have ended the United States of America. Yet it was Lincoln’s vision that when the hostilities ceased, as he knew they would, both sides could put aside their difference and work to rebuilt trust. As he said in his address at Gettysburg, “A nation divided against itself cannot stand.”

None of these men were perfect. They all had their flaws. But they were united in that vision for a United States that would strive to be the best it could be and make this idea of democracy, new in Washington’s day, work.

We may look at what is going on in the country today and ask if it is working, maybe even if it can and will work.

And often we say things like “why can’t those people in Congress just work together.” Or suggest that if everyone agreed with our opinion the world would be a better place.

That is interesting because it seems to put the burden on someone else.

Washington, Lincoln, and King were all aware of the basis of American democracy. It was written out in the document we call the Declaration of Independence. And it was further defined in the Constitution of the United States.

Most everyone says they believe in these two documents, even though we still argue over what exactly the Constitution means.

But maybe some of the most important words are found at the very beginning of the Constitution: “We the People.”

Sometimes we seem to forget that although there are many problems facing the country, as there have been since the beginning, there is still one power that can right the ship. That is “we the people.”

Maybe it is time that we as individuals in this nation decide it is time for a serious discussion. A serious discussion about all those things that divide us and make us angry. It is up to us to hold our leaders accountable, come to an agreement on what we feel the basics of democracy should be.

It really is up to “We the People.”

 

Dodge County Independent

Dodge County Independent
Dodge County ADvantage
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Kasson, MN 55944

Dodge County Printing
301 S. Mantorville Ave.
Plaza 57 • Suite 200
Kasson, MN 55944

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