William Hayward’s letter “Where do we want our country to go” was as well written and thought provoking a statement as I have read for some time. The issue isn’t being true to the conventions of Washington and Jefferson, the issue is whether our modern methods of governance are working.
Mr Hayward suggests that in order to understand why our governments appear to be so dysfunctiuonal, we need only look in the mirror. It is advice worth considering. If Mr. Hayward accompanied me to meetings of my various local government and authority clients he would be discouraged by the constant emotional appeals to solve issues at the public expense.
Information that the issue is outside of the municipalities legal authority or beyond its financial ability or that there is a private remedy available is generally met with hostility or moral indignation. It is all too easy for an elected official to yield and attempt some action – at the public expense. And more and more of the actual burden of governing is being done by local governments generally under terms dictated by the federal and state governments. This allows state and federal officials to maintain that they are addressing problems without having to implement the programs they fund-usually, only in part- and as a result they do not have to deal with the rub of implementation in an era where constituents feel empowered to make demands rather than respectful requests from government.
We can fault these elected officials but how can we be blind to the pressure to prove that they are constantly producing for us? When was the last time that you saw a political commercial that didn’t include the warrant that the candidate would “fight” for you? With all the fighting going on it is a wonder that anything gets done.
Our democracy is a historic experiment which the present Administration felt emboldened to promote by force in the Middle East. However, our institutions appear to be brick and morter when they are made up largely of flesh and blood and the culture of what we expect of our elected officials can be the force of nature that exposes them as enduring or not.
Kim C, Kesner
Clearfield