"If we're facing a controversial topic and I've got about the same number of people on each side mad at me – I figure I'm in the right place." That comment came from a fellow who'd been the mayor of a large South Texas city.
Since it's election day, let's digress from the good things in Abilene to consider politics. Politics isn't really a dirty word. It's received a negative connotation (as in "office politics" or "church politics") but the concept is bound up in being human. Humans congregate. And with community comes the need to cooperate. Politics is an element of cooperation.
The absence of community cooperation opens the door for someone to grab control by force. Sometimes the force is blatant. At other times force is exerted through the threat of disfavor or unpopularity. And sometimes bribes or other offers impact the decision making process.
The Greek city states birthed the concept of Democracy but it was different from our style. In Athens or Sparta each citizen had a vote. Issues were decided by citizens. But not all people - not even all free people - were citizens. Interestingly, the Greeks understood that priviledge brings responsibility. When it came time to outfit an army, a poor citizen might be expected to outfit a single soldier while a wealthy citizen would be expected to provide an entire ship. This inequality in responsibility bought a greater say in government.
Today, we vote for representatives and then those representatives make the decisions on our laws. They are supposed to represent us. So, I'd like to ask: Is the best representative the one who votes for what we want or the one who votes for what's right?
Since it's election day, let's digress from the good things in Abilene to consider politics. Politics isn't really a dirty word. It's received a negative connotation (as in "office politics" or "church politics") but the concept is bound up in being human. Humans congregate. And with community comes the need to cooperate. Politics is an element of cooperation.
The absence of community cooperation opens the door for someone to grab control by force. Sometimes the force is blatant. At other times force is exerted through the threat of disfavor or unpopularity. And sometimes bribes or other offers impact the decision making process.
The Greek city states birthed the concept of Democracy but it was different from our style. In Athens or Sparta each citizen had a vote. Issues were decided by citizens. But not all people - not even all free people - were citizens. Interestingly, the Greeks understood that priviledge brings responsibility. When it came time to outfit an army, a poor citizen might be expected to outfit a single soldier while a wealthy citizen would be expected to provide an entire ship. This inequality in responsibility bought a greater say in government.
Today, we vote for representatives and then those representatives make the decisions on our laws. They are supposed to represent us. So, I'd like to ask: Is the best representative the one who votes for what we want or the one who votes for what's right?
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