I've written volumes about this country's ever widening abyss, its causes, and its solutions. The cause is pretty basic, and its solution is actually quite simple. I'll try and put it in a nutshell. 250 years ago, our founding fathers faced much the same dilemma we face today. Then as now, our electorate was incomprehensibly diverse. Our country's citizens were of radically varied faiths and ethnicities from all over the world. Their needs were different. Their expectations were different. Their values were different. They were seemingly irreconcilable. They spoke a wide range of languages. Some were wealthy landowners and some were poor as church mice. Some were loyal to the established system of a government headed by a single all-powerful individual, and some were excited by rumors of a new and radical experiment intended to allow the common people the power to rule themselves. Then as now, there were well meaning and passionate people on all sides of the issues. After 250 years of pursuing a more perfect union, a government of, by, and for the people continues to be challenging. So, what contributed to our initial success? In hindsight, it is evident, the difference between pursuing a more perfect union, or alternatively the total collapse of our democratic republic, is electing responsible leadership, and a willingness by the citizens to seek the common good and achieve individual liberty by ensuring liberty and justice for all. Our early success was due largely to the efforts of men like George Washington. It seems the essential ingredient to a successful government of, by, and for the people is an electorate dedicated to responding to the voices if their better angels and thus choosing leaders who demonstrate a determination to seek truth, justice and the common good, as opposed to their own wealth, notoriety and ruthless self-aggrandizement. When we elect individuals who act in the best interests of America, America prospers. When we elect people who fail to do so, America fails. President John F. Kennedy said, "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." It turns out, all that is necessary in order to achieve a more perfect union, is to elect capable leaders who are truly willing to dedicate themselves to the great task remaining before us, that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Shannon Thomas Casebeer
