Tuesday, August 12, 2008

The Servants' Quarters - Join United Progressives NOW!!!

This article was written/released in May of 2008, but the message is so relevant to current events and consequential to maintaining one's mental health that I recommend it wholeheartedly as an indispensable antidote to the poison you are fed daily by the MSM.(Emphasis marks are mine.) ___________________________________

Monday, 05 May 2008 In today's democracy, our leaders are at best dubious and at worst, completely unfit. Ideally they would meet all our expectations, but no one even comes close. Do they represent us? A little. Do they represent themselves? A lot. One of our more noted Democratic leaders campaigning for high office recently admitted the other day in a televised interview that she was rich. Yet she's been in public service for many years. What can be inferred from this is that our public servant has used public service strategically to enhance her own wealth, since she didn't start out being wealthy. No one sees anything wrong with this. Yet the conflict of interest is clear when we permit the purpose and value of being in public office to be so radically influenced by the perks one enjoys, or the opportunities one comes across, in order to become rich, that it overshadows everything else. Self interest and the public interest are uncomfortable companions, because the latter often gets bartered off for a pot of porridge heavy on pork and personal favors. Leaders are to be distrusted when the role of leadership itself is enhanced with the discretion to distribute power, wealth or resources in unequal amounts to just any group of people they favor. Leaders who can enact laws without the participation of those who are led have too much power. Leaders who can tax citizens without consulting with them first and obtaining their support and agreement for such a tax have too much power. It should be presumed that power will corrupt if there are no checks and balances for it. Leaders should not have power to dictate the terms by which others live or the lifestyle they choose to live without their consent. That's very fundamental to democracy. Leaders should have the power to inform, and then to step away, and let the people decide. When we respect our leaders, we will follow their advice. When we believe that another course is best for us, that should be our option in a democracy. Leaders lead. Dictators compel. At the very least it is the duty of our leaders to inform, advise, aid and enable the will of the people. At most, leadership becomes indistinguishable from the people themselves. They are in complete unison and harmony. Good leaders enable others to see the same vision they see. If they cannot do this, they need to go away, and we need to replace them with leaders who do open our eyes and our minds to truth. In fairness, it has also been observed that powerlessness also corrupts. The most obvious solution to that does not need to be re-invented; it's called democracy. When the poor are truly enfranchised, they will no longer be poor, because they will not permit those with economic advantages to sustain them to their own disadvantage. A father and mother, when they are whole, serve the needs of their children. It is the duty of parents to inform, advise, aid and enable their children’s knowledge, skills and dreams. Everyone wins. That is the fundamental outline of society’s responsibility as a whole. Any organization that pretends to represent the interests of society represents every single one of us. A community, in order to be whole, hears the needs of every individual. It hears the needs of the least, the sick, the weak, the disabled, and those handicapped by disadvantages of all sorts every bit as much as it hears the needs of its most fortunate and most advantaged. It does so, because that’s who the community is. These people are members of the community. When they are strong, the community is strong. When they are weak, the community is weak. It does not allow one segment of the community to prey upon and victimize the other. Those with power must use it to serve, not to gain more advantages. Our union is built upon those principles. We want to clarify where we stand on this right up front. When you contact us, don’t look for anything marked “Headquarters.” There won’t be a headquarters. You won’t find a mansion high on a hill with polished oak and Italian marble, and you won’t find anything resembling a white house. What you need to look for is a sign that says, “Servants’ Quarters.” We want to make very clear not just through token gestures but through the very core structure of how United Progressives is run what we intend to do for you. We are not here to tell you what you can do for your management; we’re here to ask you what we can do for you as citizens of a society that belongs to all of us. You vote for it. If you want universal health care, we’re here to fight for it. If you want public education through four years of college, we’re going to stand tall on that issue. If you want to bring the troops home now, that’s what we want too. We believe in a government of, for, and by the people, and that’s just what you get in United Progressives. You vote; we act. We are your servants. So, if you haven't already, join United Progressives now, and help us become the new thought and vision for America.
Enough said? Suzan _________________________________

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