How Much Time Will We Invest
By Albert B. Kelly
In recent years there has been a lot of speculating about democracy and our system of government. Much of the speculation is about whether we can survive and whether or not we’re ripe for being taken over and led by some kind of strong arm dictator type. Given what we’ve seen the last few years and how some people have acted there is reason for worry and concern.
I say that because democracy’s underlying working assumption is that “we the people” will do our part. I don’t just mean showing up and voting every few years, although that might serve as a place to start, but doing the mental and intellectual work required to allow democracy to function. The question to be answered is simply how much time and effort are we willing to give to democracy?
For many, the time they’re willing to give is confined to voting. But much like the “C and E” crowd amongst Christians, meaning those who pop into church on Christmas and Easter, their level of involvement is basically limited to every four years when a presidential election comes along. Others might participate a bit more frequently meaning the mid-term and gubernatorial elections. An even smaller subset of people will turn out to vote in local elections.
This level of participation, meaning voting, however often one chooses to show up, is the minimum level we should expect from ourselves and our fellow citizens. Yet even this most basic expectation comes with conditions. For example, you often hear people say, either with pride or contempt, that they’re not going to vote because they don’t like any of the candidates- as if it were a beauty contest. Others dismiss the whole thing out of hand claiming that “they’re all crooks”.
There have certainly been crooks in the past at all levels of government and there will likely be some crooks in the future, but there are also some incredibly smart and hardworking people trying to accomplish important things at all levels of government, something that is always difficult and time-consuming in a democracy.
Yet I wonder if it ever occurs to those who easily dismiss the system as “rigged” or scorn everyone in office as “crooked” that if they themselves invested more time participating in our democracy that things would get better. I have to believe that these are honest people, folks with integrity, and they have to know it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy if they leave the playing field all to the crooks.
But I would also suggest that a little more is required than simply voting and what is required is that people have some basic working knowledge and awareness of the issues at hand. Without that and without knowing what questions to ask, there is no real way to evaluate the plans and intentions of those seeking office and no real way to make them accountable. What’s left is a personality contest and voting for a brand- the equivalent of being a Chevy guy or a Ford guy.
Then there’s life at the local level. Of all the levels of government, this is the one that is the most difficult and most neglected. I say that for several reasons. Most obvious is the fact that only a fraction of the eligible voters in a given community bother to show up and cast a vote in local elections, yet much of what occurs in local government has a direct and daily impact on people’s lives.
Beyond that, the other extremely difficult and frustrating thing is finding people to serve on the various boards and commissions that exercise power down on the street, whether its sitting on a Zoning Board, Planning Board, or Library Board to name a few. For better or worse, some real governing takes place on these local bodies.
Actually finding people who will serve, faithfully attend
meetings, take time to become informed and engaged on the subject matter at
hand and render decisions for their fellow citizens is extremely hard to
achieve. The criteria to serve has to be more than simply being able to fog up
a mirror.
We are blessed to have the system we have, it didn’t just drop out of the sky. We ask a lot of our system, that it give us freedom and power and equality and a voice and choices. Yet, how much time are we willing to give to democracy?