1st in a Series by Texas Author Carol Sewell
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas Thanks to the Tea Party and other grass-roots movements we have an electorate that is hungry for a return to Constitutional government.
For far too long we have been too accepting of the status quo from our elected officials. We have accepted that when elected our representatives would drink the water or Kool-Aid in Washington or in our state capitol and turn into party hacks subject to the pressures of the leadership of their party.
Once this happens they no longer are representatives of the people but politicians serving themselves first and the people second.
The Tea Party and grass-roots movement is great for the nation especially if it translates into true action or boots on the ground to help elect true representatives. Then we can change the political atmosphere in this nation and our state.
Another positive coming out of the Tea Party movement is the quality of candidates stepping up to serve the people. As we have seen they are making an impact on Washington D.C. much to the chagrin of the establishment.
The establishment has been counting on this awakening to lose its enthusiasm and become nothing more than a flash in the pan. But this movement has created an interest in truly understanding the Constitution and this will only inspire us to truly appreciate the great gift the founders have given us.
Ultimately this will overcome many misconceptions regarding the Constitution among the American electorate.
Sadly many of us do not understand that we are a Representative Republic and not a Democracy. There are several reasons for this misconception.
These are a lack of comprehensive civics education brainwashing by the media and political elites who refer to our system as a Democracy and lack of teaching on the Constitution. Because of this lack of knowledge we have lost our true national identity.
There are major differences between a democracy and a republic. A Constitutional Republic is a nation ruled by law (the Constitution) that recognizes the inalienable rights of the individual. A Democracy is only concerned with group wants and needs (the public good) and has a tendency to turn into tyranny of the mob (mobocracy).
Our founding fathers were more concerned with protecting individual rights from being trampled by the majority or in some cases the group that makes the most noise using intimidation tactics.
The Founders realized that when individuals were free to pursue enterprise all groups would be elevated as they embraced hard work and ingenuity. After all it is our personal choices and sense of responsibility that determines our success.
It has worked well for this nation for over 150 years.
The Founders also knew that at some point the people of the nation would cease to be a moral and religious people. When that happened they would discover that they could vote for government handouts/entitlements by voting for those who promised them the most government funding.
Since government in and off itself does not create wealth the only way to support these types of programs is to take it from citizens through taxation who work hard and produce wealth. This new entitlement mentality would America into full blown socialism.
When asked after the signing of the Constitution what type of government we had Thomas Jefferson replied we have a Representative Republic if we can
keep it." They stated over and over that the sustainability of a Representative Republic requires citizens that are both moral and religious.
It also requires the citizens to take more responsibility by holding our elected representatives accountable. That means we must pay close attention to what they do more than what they say.
We have not done that and it has resulted in the downward spiral of the culture morals quality of education and a push for direct democracy by special interest groups who would trample the rights of individuals to get what they want. Therefore we look more like a democracy than a republic.
What the founders greatly feared is coming to pass.
However the good news is that there is a remnant that has arisen in the last three years and with it a shift in how voters are thinking. There is a sincere call for the return to Constitutional government.
No longer are we willing to accept the status quo. We actually want to elect men and women who will truly represent us and change the culture in Washington from career politicians to patriotic citizen legislators serving their fellow citizens instead of a political party.
The same is true for our state legislators. We are looking for candidates with character and integrity who truly embrace the concept of servant leadership and citizen legislator.
There is a difference between politicians and true representatives. Politicians serve themselves and will do and say whatever it takes to get elected and stay elected.
But a representative is like an attorney who is hired by a person or party to represent their interests in a court case. If this attorney started looking out for his/her own interests or those of another party he/she would be fired (and rightly so) and a new attorney would be hired.
It is time to declare to the establishment that we the people are fed up with their lack of true representation of the citizens who elect them and pay their salary. We will not be quiet anymore; we expect more and deserve more from our elected representatives.
We want true transparent representatives with character integrity seeking good common sense solutions to the problems facing our state and nation; and a sincere desire to be a servant of the people!
Carol Sewell is the author of We the People: Know the Past Understand the Present Secure the Future" with foreword by David Barton.
