On the eve of introducing a new book on the subject, this article is a preface to an overarching theme that is a moral perspective. The moral being the principles of right and wrong behavior and the goodness or badness of human character. We are the sum of our parts.
The US Constitution empowers our individualism. The American Political System advocates citizen-control and self-governance. It is an enormous duty that encompasses economic, social, and environmental responsibilities.
On the one hand, you might conclude that democracy is too high a burden for average citizens to handle. Why is that? The answer is that people are so busy working for self-sustainment that they have too little time to devote to governance.
However, that is why the American Political System allows citizens to elect representatives as their instruments to manage the bureaucracy that delivers essential services and outcomes to all constituents.
At a minimum, citizens must select and elect their representatives at every level of government beginning in their community, state, and the federal government. As one national community, we must ensure that individuals have an equal opportunity to vote and to engage the election process.
The American Political System lacks standards:
- Standards for political parties
- Standards for elected officials at every level
Addressing "standards" is a complicated topic that I describe in my books aiming the reading to an average tenth-grader because that is the average comprehension level of American citizens. I have joked that perhaps we should give "tenth graders," the right to vote.
To ensure the integrity of our system, "We The People" must embrace our morality beginning with high regard for honesty and truth, human rights, and the rule of law.
At present, "We The People" have allowed our morality to degrade by accepting political leadership have grossly deficient character. The President doesn't tell the truth, nor does he respect the rule of law. His political party follows him in compromising the essential standards.
The first thing that America needs is for the Republican Party to correct its deficient behavior and to lead the nation in purging unfit characters from office. When Republicans and Democrats collaborate to raise the standard and value, then the moral character is restored to the American Political System.
Reading list:
"President Donald Trump may not understand what’s wrong with paying two women he allegedly had affairs with because “his brain sees only private interests transacting. It doesn’t comprehend the public interest,” former secretary of labor Robert Reich wrote in The Guardian on Monday."
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