Commentary:

Larger responsibility

Ultimately, unless we want to fragment into isolated communities (such as the Amish chose to do long ago), we all have to live together.

This means that we must find a broad consensus on the role of government in our lives.

It also means that those we elect to serve us in our government must remember that they are not elected solely to serve a single, vocal constituency but that they also have a larger responsibility to the nation as a whole.

We say our founding principle is government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Decisions of the government ultimately affect ALL the people in our nation; government should be for all the people, too.

The governing institutions of the United States have evolved over 220 years, and as circumstances change it is possible the institutions also need to change. These changes should not be undertaken lightly nor driven by high emotions in situations of divisive passions.

Ironically, the party of strict constructionist interpretation of the Constitution was the party in power when a law explicitly aimed at circumventing the federal system was passed in a weekend session and the President, a member of that same party, rushed to the White House to sign that law.

The lunatic fringes are shouting down any voices of reason in both parties, and adherence to core principles wither in the furnace of the excessive passions and lust for power.

American politics has always had a rough and tumble element. More often than not, there have been true, intellectually honest statesmen who have risen above the "win at any and all costs" mentality and recognize the larger responsibility they hold.

I see no intellectually honest statesmen now.

The United States has always had the luxury of indulging in widespread frenzies of political passions with the moats of two oceans and the buffers of two benign neighbors providing isolation and freedom of fear from attack.

That stopped holding true over 50 years ago. Now, the combination of nuclear weapons with missiles ballistic or human bridges the moats and uses the benign neighbors as unguarded doorways.

Our time for self-indulgence of our lunatic fringes is over.

We must indeed all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall hang separately.
   -Benjamin Franklin

We deserve better, and it is my hope that despite gerrymandered districts the voters are able to make their wishes truly known in the next election.

Otherwise...