“No People will tamely surrender their Liberties, or can any be easily subdued, when knowledge is diffused, and Virtue is preserved.” Sam Adams
It is now nearly a month after the Presidential Election. While some of the People seem upset by the outcome, many if not most should be celebrating that we avoided destroying the American Way of life. Though many refer to the outcome as a sweep, I am still in awe that 74.4 million (49.2%) of my fellow citizens voted for Kamala Harris to continue destroying our country and undermining We the People (which includes them).
My appeal to my fellow Americans now is that this mandate gives us the opportunity to right the wrongs. I take full responsibility that as an American citizen, showing up to vote is only part of my civic duty to preserve the power of We the People. It is amazing to learn what happens after the votes are cast and American citizens return to their life as usual. This is where I believe the concept of We the People gets lost. Here is how, I believe, we can restore it for the future.
If we are to preserve We the People, I believe it is our civic responsibility to do three things: 1) Inspect what we expect; 2) Hold our elected/hired (they do get paid) representatives accountable to the mandate; 3) Join and/or support established groups with the gravitas and mission to represent the will of We the People. Here are some thoughts on how we can perform each of these civic responsibilities while returning to our normal lives.
#1. Inspect what you expect – We are all likely getting informed in some way or another about our country and our society. But with the growth of on-line media through podcasts and apps, newsletters by mail or email and cable TV programs, it is good to identify the younger people (less than 60) who have the passion, energy, ideas and chutzpah to save America. I say this as a baby boomer knowing (sadly) that most of my generation apparently voted to continue the anti-American Way. The Harris vote came predominantly from those making less than $30K, more than $100K and the baby boomers (born 1946 to 1964).
#2. Hold our elected/hired representatives accountable to the mandate – We the People must ask ourselves a question: “Would we hire and pay someone to perform an important service for us and never check to see how they performed? This is why our vote is the hiring decision but holding them accountable to us is our performance review. Staying informed (1 above) begins the accountability but then knowing what to do if you proactively want them to vote a certain way, pay attention to a key issue, or reprimand them reactively for deciding against the mandate. We the People need help in this though I know of a few who take accountability directly into their own hands. This is why we need number three below for those of us hesitant to do direct accountability yet want our voice to be heard and have impact.
#3. Join and/or support established groups of We the People to strengthen our voice and create accountability with impact – I think this is the key to keeping our civic responsibility alive and impactful in our busy lives. There are groups I have found who, like the new generation of social media informers and influencers, are in the business to ensure our elected representatives do the job and implement the 2024 mandate. You still need to show up and make your voice heard (often on-line), but your voice becomes one of several thousand if not several million. Whether you join a group on social media like X or Truth Social or add your name to a group on the ground at Capitol Hill like Heritage Action (https://heritageaction.com), the success of these group efforts to hold representatives accountable and keep them on track toward the mandate is where We the People can show our power.
We the People are the foundation of a free, just and safe society. It is not our elected representatives who are responsible to We the People, but our own oversight of them. That oversight can be through your individual voice (calls, letters, in-person meetings) or through your united voice in joining with others of like mind and mission. We the People just experienced an opportunity in this 2024 election to right the wrongs that led us to near destruction of our American Way. While the conservative side won the majority, there is a very slim margin in the Congress to get it right (Senate with a margin of 3; House with a margin of 2).
We must take back our civic responsibility to inspect, hold accountable and make our voices heard to those whose only role is to represent We the People and our mandates. Join me in making a New Year’s resolution to continue the efforts you are making as engaged citizens and, at the same time, step up your oversight to keep the American Way strong for the next generation and a legacy of our own lives.
