The campaign begins today. It does not end on 4 November 2010. Or 4 November 2012. It ends when enough citizens in America participate in the political process so that gain control of the government. Not just voting, choosing between candidates on the ballot like a drunk choosing what brand of rotgut and cancer sticks for tonight’s binge. Rather we should participate in the process, like the crew of a privateer voting to choose our officers.
We can expect a messy outcome. Perhaps a disastrous smash-up. But we’ll own it. And we’ll have tried.
Are you part of the solution — or part of the problem?
Here are some thoughts to help you evaluate your political platform.
- Is your top goal to protect government spending that benefits you?
- Is your top goal to keep your taxes low? Esp by protecting tax codes that benefits you?
- Is your top goal to cut spending that benefits others?
- Do you advocate a balanced budget, but without specific recommendations to achieve it?
- Is your concern primarily about one issue?
- Are your recommendations mostly regulating behavior of other people?
- Do you see our problems as solely the result of other people’s actions?
If any of these apply to you, I suggest reading these chapters from The Federalist Papers about “The Utility of the Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection”:
Madison said: “By a faction, I understand a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adversed to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.”
The essential advice
I’m Gonna Make A Change
For Once In My Life
It’s Gonna Feel Real Good
Gonna Make A Difference
Gonna Make It Right…I’m Starting With The Man In The Mirror
I’m Asking Him To Change His Ways
And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself, And Then Make A Change— The Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson
For more information on the FM site
Reference pages about other topics appear on the right side menu bar, including About the FM website page. Such as…
Posts on the FM site about American politics:
- Lilliput or America – who has a better way to choose its leaders?, 19 November 2008
- Conservatives should look back before attempting to move forward, 5 December 2008
- The Democrats believe we are stupid. Are they correct?, 19 December 2008
- About campaigns for high office in America – we always expect a better result from the same process, 17 June 2009
- Please read this. For the sake of yourself, your children, and their children, 25 June 2009
- Fixing America: shall we choose elections, revolt, or passivity?, 16 August 2008
- Fixing American: taking responsibility is the first step, 17 August 2008
- Fixing America: the choices are elections, revolt, or passivity, 18 August 2008
- Can Americans pull together? If not, why not?, 29 August 2008
- How to stage effective protests in the 21st century, 21 April 2009
- The first step on the road to America’s reform, 29 May 2009
- Please put on every milk carton: America’s political class is MIA, 17 November 2009
- Campaign finance reform = incumbent protection, 20 December 2009
- The breakdown of the American political system, pointing to a new and better future, 2 February 2010
- Republicans have found a sure-fire path to victory in the November elections, 6 February 2010
- The first step to reforming America (the final version), 7 December 2009
Afterword
Please email me if you have …
- a correction to this post, or
- if you wish to make a comment and either have expertise in this field or are mentioned in the post, or
- a question (I’ll try a weekly post to answer them).
Send messages to fabmaximus at hotmail dot com (note the spam-protected spelling).
Also — you can now subscribe, receiving posts by email — see the box on the upper right.
The post Light the fireworks – the campaign starts today! appeared first on Fabius Maximus website.