I was raised to believe in equality for all. Several other things I learned growing up are that no one has the right to take anything from you, no one is better than me and I am no better than anyone else. I also learned through my friends that we stand together or we fall alone.
These life lessons have been passed down for thousands of generations, throughout the entire length of time that man has been on this planet.
The words written on a certain document and signed by a bunch of farmers, scholars, and businessmen reflect these same life lessons. They were written with the understanding that all who come after them would be inspired enough to govern themselves according to the spirit in which these words were written.
Is this the case today? Do we govern ourselves in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution? It is going to take much more than simply reading this document to actually follow what is written.
The only idea that closely matches what our forefathers laid out is the physical makeup of government. Three branches, designed to oversee the other so that there is no imbalance of power. And of course a two party system.
Ideology is the point of contention that divides us, and it divides us sharply. More government, less government? What is enough government? Should citizens lives be monitored and dictated to by government or should we be 'allowed' to sink or swim based on our own choices?
How much should we expect from our government and when should government step in and tell us we are screwing up?
An agreed upon definition of values, ethics and morality is necessary for the efficient exercise of government. Not just some lip service agreed to in an oath. Of course, the individual is key in making this a reality. But individuals in this country are being raised without the necessary ethical and moral upbringing that citizens in the past (long ago past) received. You can see it by the uncouth behavior taking place within Congress itself. You can see it in how politicians resort to mudslinging during campaigns rather than engaging in polite debate. You can see it in the lengths that Hollywood and the music industry goes to sell what passes for entertainment.
Efficiency and fairness being the ultimate measures of a successfully run government bounded by ethics and morality in order to benefit every citizen should be of the highest order but in the end we fall short.
When we all believe in and practice the same virtues, ethics and morals we all benefit. It is when any one of these break down that someone benefits at the expense of someone else. This is when we begin a long slide into chaos, which, if not corrected will tear us apart.
America has been on this downhill slide for a very long time. It has become standard for our government to favor some groups over others. Certain groups get more out of this system than others.
The currency of this favoritism is money and power. America's ideal form of government as laid out by our forefathers was born out of the only form of government they had ever known, a ruling class, detached from its citizens by convincing itself that it was elite and it alone was therefore the natural choice to own the power. During their time, the factor that determined elitism was birthright. Today, the definition of elitism is wealth.
Do we as a nation believe in equality for all? Do we still believe that no one has the right to take anything from you and that no one is better than anyone else? Do we still know that we stand together or we fall alone?
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