By Sid Camp
DAWSONVILLE, Ga. | I read with interest your article and certainly agree with the information you have shared with the readers. I would just add that our federal government has been dysfunctional for decades and worry that it will get worse before it gets better.
When George Washington decided not to run again, he published a farewell address to the American people delineating several concerns, mostly out of protecting the Constitution. Washington was clearly concerned that the Republic was threatened by the forces of geographical sectionalism, political factionalism, and interference by foreign powers in the nation’s domestic affairs. I believe Washington had his faults, but he was clearly on target with helping the people understand the forces that could derail our young nation.
Washington urged Americans to subordinate sectional jealousies to common national interests. Writing at a time before political parties had become accepted as extra-constitutional, opinion-focusing agencies, Washington feared that they carried the seeds of the nation’s destruction through petty factionalism. Washington was not an isolationist. However, he recognized the necessity of temporary associations for “extraordinary emergencies;” he did counsel against the establishment of “permanent alliances with other countries,” connections that he warned would inevitably be subversive of America’s national interest.
Unfortunately, our nation has not heeded Washington’s warnings and continues to engage in factionalism, allow political parties to determine many of the processes for elections, and now the nation finds itself with a broad scope of allies and enemies. Over the weekend, I read that many of the challenges can be summed up in these four words, “Someone will fix it.”
For too long, we have allowed reactive politicians to articulate their platform and not hold them accountable. This includes Democrats, Republicans and any other party that puts forth a candidate. Our nation continues to return the same “do nothing” politicians to office year after year. I would argue that the future is not written and the challenges can be solved with just three words, “We the People…”
Until voters demand a new structure that eliminates the control of our elections by political parties that create factionalism, we are likely to continue along this path. It will not get better until we make it better.
- Have a comment? Click here to send an email.
