As a whole we have become used to the federal government telling us we have to submit to new regulations that govern everything from business, retail, home appliances/light bulbs, environmental rules etc. Americans being more compliant than rebellious have just grumbled but accepted we can’t do anything to change these mounting regulations. At the state level we have a better chance of thwarting intrusive and burdensome regulations than we do at the national level. Also at the state level we have had better luck stopping many of the laws that seek to change our culture.
By nature the redefinition of marriage is a states right issue. Therefore, we have many states that have rejected the redefinition of marriage either by a vote of the people or by their state legislators. Unfortunately, in many of those states federal judges have reversed what the people supported and allowed marriage to be devalued and downgraded to just about anything. The very foundation of society the marriage/family unit is being undermined by a few. This in turn undermines civilization and society as a whole. Marriage is a state issue and the federal courts have no standing to overturn these legally passed laws. Hopefully, governors will wake up and refuse to submit.
It is a truism that all politics is local and should command our engagement. The first level of government that we encounter is our city and county government. The city/town council members pass ordinances and resolutions that affect us on a very personal level. The local school boards impact our children daily. And yet, very few of us bother to vote in local elections. The largest turnout is for the presidential elections every four years. Voter participation drops off at the two year or mid-term elections. The same is true for primary elections with half as many voting in primaries. Many, who only vote the general election for president, do not even bother to vote all the way down the ballot.
Why do we feel it is less important to vote for our local city officials who impact our lives daily? The President and Congress are far removed from “we the people”. The Governor and state Legislators are not as far removed but they are also not considered local.
The Founders and Framers of the Constitution believed that good Christian citizens would be engaged at all levels of civil government. The city and county governments are usually in your neighborhood (especially if you live in a small town) or very close nearby. They make laws that impact what you can and can’t do with your own property, how you run your business, local sales taxes, population density and local code control of what animals are allowed in your back yard, dog licensing, garbage and sewer, fire and law enforcement, street maintenance and many other things.
All the above affect us and yet few of us pay attention to what our city officials are doing with our taxes or how much debt they are accumulating that our children and grandchildren will have to pay off. My great-grandmother apparently was a real pistol. She kept up with the town council and when she was unhappy with what they were doing or considering doing she would slap on her hat and go down to city hall and let them know she disapproved. That was before the internet and television where you can easily monitor what was going on at city hall! We need more citizens willing to hold our city councils accountable.
Because our city and county governments are in close proximity to where we live it is easier for us to get involved. In my great-grandmother’s day that is what they did. It is harder for us to make time to go to our state capitol or nations’ capitol to voice our opinions. We can send emails, write letters and make phone calls to our elected officials. Unfortunately, not many write letters, make phone calls or email their elected representatives either. Because of this lack of engagement it is all the more important that we stay in contact with those who represent us in our city government. Go to city council meetings if for no other reason than to remind them by your presence that they work for you and you are watching what they do.
Calvin Coolidge once said, “It is our theory that the people own the government, not that the government should own the people.” If we own government then we need to engage to make sure it is being run efficiently and keeping within the budget we set. Texas is a state that is well run but when you factor in the debt accumulated by the cities of Texas we are #2 next to New York in debt! Why? How did this happen? We the people are not managing our city governments as we should as evidenced by very low voter turnout. Until we have a problem with our water, sewer, trash collection, tax increases etc., we don’t pay attention.
Next Week: More on City and County Elections
Dinner Table Discussion Question: Who really has the most power in our Representative Republic according to the Framers? Why?