Saturday, April 25, 2009

Find Mr. Smith, Then Send Him to Washington

For years I have listened to people complain that they hated voting because there was never a place to select “None of The Above.” Friends, we have tolerated greedy politicians and bad government for too long. The Tea Parties proved that the majority of Americans are unhappy with current conditions at all levels of government. The reason the news media can't figure out the Tea Party message is because they have no clue about the depth and breadth of our angst.

To be frank, it’s time to kick the bums out – all of them – and put some good guys in. We’re supposed to have government of, by, and for the people, not government of, by, and for the political class who think they know how to run our lives for us.

That means that we need to get involved in ways that go far beyond Tea Parties. For true change to occur, we must find good, honest people to run for every office there is and support them until they win their elections. It means that some of us need to step up to the plate and become Mr. Smith. Politics has developed into a career path for lazy people with questionable character. The Founders of the Constitution envisioned it as a service to one’s country, not a stepladder to personal wealth. Let’s get back to the Founders’ ideal!

If we’ve gotten the “leadership” we deserve, we need to change our ways to deserve better leadership. That means citizen involvement, not citizen grousing from the sidelines.

For inspiration, rent or buy Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, a 1939 Frank Capra classic starring Jimmy Stewart and Jean Arthur. One review of the film reads, “
In Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, however, the decent common man is surrounded by the most venal, petty, and thuggish group of yahoos . . . . Everyone in the film -- except for Jefferson Smith and his tiny cadre of believers -- is either in the pay of the political machine. . . . or complicit in corruption through their silence, and they all sit by as innocent people, including children, are brutalized and intimidated, rights are violated, and the government is brought to a halt. The film's story of innocence and righteousness triumphant over corruption frames a chilling picture of an ineffectual and venal government fronting for gangsters.”

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