We the people

What is government for? It’s right there in the preamble to the U.S. Constitution:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

From the time of this nation’s founding, we have recognized the sacred obligation to support one another in our pursuit of happiness. Neighbors helped one another to build homes and barns, to give food to those down on their luck or in mourning, to be present for one another in times of crisis. Neighbors tilled community gardens and watched each other’s kids.

As this country grew, we formed governments to build schools, and roads, and water and sewer infrastructure. Through government, we provided services for the poor and aged and sick. Through government, we helped people recover from disasters. Through government, we funded research to conquer disease and create energy sources and explore the moon. Through government, we curbed pollution and ensured clean water and air. Through government, we established mail service and created the internet. Through government, we set aside some of the most beautiful land for national parks so all could enjoy the richness of this American landscape.

Beyond our borders, our government worked with other countries to trade for resources, defend against aggression, advance medicine, and support developing nations. Our government participated in founding international sport and establishing international law.

No doubt some of our collective endeavors are not so laudable. But they say the arc of the universe curves toward justice, and we have acknowledged and worked to rectify some of our most egregious actions. There is more to be done, of course, and this, too, is collective effort.

Banding together for the common good is how humans have thrived for millennia. While each individual has responsibility for themselves and their families, we cannot survive without the support of the many.

How does that old Joni Mitchell song go? “Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.”

The current administration’s wanton destruction of all we have built “to form a more perfect Union” goes against the articles of our very Constitution. There is no doubt that there is waste and inefficiency in far-reaching and massive governmental systems, and that waste needs to be addressed – by congress, with careful consideration and debate, not by fiat. Mass firings of government workers, zeroing out of life-giving funding, disbanding of entire congressionally-established departments, unlawful deportations and prosecutions, withdrawal from international accords – these are all travesty and tragedy, from which it will take decades to recover.

People say government doesn’t touch day-to-day lives, but in our own families and social circles, you’ll see just how valuable the government is…

• When our children need intense support to succeed in school.
• When our elders (including me!) are ready to tap into retirement funding and medical insurance that they have contributed to their entire working lives.
• When you and your family want to enjoy the beauty of national parks during summer vacations and day trips to breathe clear air, fish streams, dip toes in water.
• When economic downturns and whims of employers mean and those we love are temporarily out of work and so need financial support to tide them over.
• When disease and illness touch our lives and we need the miracles of modern science to get back to good health.
• When we all need safe drinking water and safe internet connections and safe banking.
• When we need protection from foreign powers that seek to do us harm through interrupting cyberspace connections, sowing discord and disinformation, or seeking to claim our lands.
• When we need to plan ahead and take action to ensure we leave a livable planet and viable world order to our children and our children’s children.

There are times when attentiveness to governmental activities has been a “set-it-and-forget-it” proposition to be considered only when voting for our governmental representatives. But that is no longer true.

You and I need to pay close attention, to actively speak up for what needs defending and to relentlessly communicate with our representatives what we want them to do at all levels of government. Even if you voted for the party in power, you may be surprised at what they are actually doing.

Now is the time to pick the causes closest to our hearts and to more actively engage to be sure they are getting the attention, support, and funding they deserve. Now is the time to draw boundaries around what we want government to do. Now is the time for you and me to loudly voice our support and boldly raise our opposition.

Our nation’s founders set forth a visionary experiment in self-governance, and we have long fought to maintain a government “of the people, by the people and for the people.” Let us not lose it or let it be destroyed in this generation.