rlmak
09-25-2018, 02:10 PM
My father wrote this to me after a visit to him and my mother in 1975, he was 60 and I was 24.
He was a WWII veteran, small business owner and always involved in the community. A conservative but had been known to cross party lines.
Dear *****,
I am glad that you take an interest in events, politics, and affairs as that will lead to involvement in what this country needs to survive.
The tendency is to elect representatives and forget them after the election. Nothing could be more wrong. Even good men need guidance from the people and we don’t always elect good men. Whoever is elected, he is only one of us with no greater insight as to what is best for us all. The people are supposed to make these decisions and if you find yourself in disagreement ask yourself, what did you do to influence happenings other than take 10 minutes to cast your vote at the polls?
That’s not enough. Your right to criticize is shaky if you expect the other fellow to do all the work. What you have said to him is “Make me happy”, and if he fails, which is likely, you are offended. In a democracy, all of the responsibility lies with the people. In a totalitarian government it all lies with the leader. To make a democracy work the people must assume their share of the work, and if they fail, so does the democracy.
Good government begins right in your own neighborhood. Start there. Take the trouble to find out who are the precinct committeemen, both parties, and then go talk to them. You’ll be surprised. Whether they’re cheap ward heelers or conscientious citizens they’ll probably appreciate your visit. You’ll find the young are very welcoming providing they show a decent regard for those who have been active.
Don’t expect too much. Complete agreement is impossible. Each person has his own ideas and has a right to them. Agreement is a matter of compromise, a slow process. But if you can find one thing that you can work together on even with your opponent, that is progress.
To really understand your country, go to the library and pick out the books dealing with Jefferson, Monroe, Madison, Franklin, Samuel Adams. These will lead you to others and you’ll will be surprised how brilliant the men of 200 years ago were in developing a government so workable and lasting so long. You will gain a respect for democracy and learn that you have a responsibility to make it function.
Good government is still a matter of development. What we have is obviously not perfect, nor will it ever be, but it can be better, and the young will also have to work to make it that way. Examine the problem with a question, “What is the alternative?” Could you accept a dictatorship for instance? In that light many things look better.
I don’t approve of our trend towards “imperial” government. Richard Nixon is not God. Nor was Johnson, nor Kennedy. The fault lies not with Richard Nixon but with the people, and that’s the responsibility you’ll finally have to accept.
Love,
Dad
He was a WWII veteran, small business owner and always involved in the community. A conservative but had been known to cross party lines.
Dear *****,
I am glad that you take an interest in events, politics, and affairs as that will lead to involvement in what this country needs to survive.
The tendency is to elect representatives and forget them after the election. Nothing could be more wrong. Even good men need guidance from the people and we don’t always elect good men. Whoever is elected, he is only one of us with no greater insight as to what is best for us all. The people are supposed to make these decisions and if you find yourself in disagreement ask yourself, what did you do to influence happenings other than take 10 minutes to cast your vote at the polls?
That’s not enough. Your right to criticize is shaky if you expect the other fellow to do all the work. What you have said to him is “Make me happy”, and if he fails, which is likely, you are offended. In a democracy, all of the responsibility lies with the people. In a totalitarian government it all lies with the leader. To make a democracy work the people must assume their share of the work, and if they fail, so does the democracy.
Good government begins right in your own neighborhood. Start there. Take the trouble to find out who are the precinct committeemen, both parties, and then go talk to them. You’ll be surprised. Whether they’re cheap ward heelers or conscientious citizens they’ll probably appreciate your visit. You’ll find the young are very welcoming providing they show a decent regard for those who have been active.
Don’t expect too much. Complete agreement is impossible. Each person has his own ideas and has a right to them. Agreement is a matter of compromise, a slow process. But if you can find one thing that you can work together on even with your opponent, that is progress.
To really understand your country, go to the library and pick out the books dealing with Jefferson, Monroe, Madison, Franklin, Samuel Adams. These will lead you to others and you’ll will be surprised how brilliant the men of 200 years ago were in developing a government so workable and lasting so long. You will gain a respect for democracy and learn that you have a responsibility to make it function.
Good government is still a matter of development. What we have is obviously not perfect, nor will it ever be, but it can be better, and the young will also have to work to make it that way. Examine the problem with a question, “What is the alternative?” Could you accept a dictatorship for instance? In that light many things look better.
I don’t approve of our trend towards “imperial” government. Richard Nixon is not God. Nor was Johnson, nor Kennedy. The fault lies not with Richard Nixon but with the people, and that’s the responsibility you’ll finally have to accept.
Love,
Dad