Courage. I will vote for any elected official that shows me he has courage. Courage to do what needs to be done to address the ills festering in our state and federal governments. Courage to tell us fickle voters not what we want to hear (What’s in it for me?), but what we must hear. Courage. It’s a great bar by which to measure candidates during the next 5 months of hot and heavy campaigning.
Caveat major: Before requiring courage of candidates, we voters must have the courage of OUR convictions when it comes to living without the government in every facet of every citizen’s life. Easily said; not so easily done.
How will folks regain trust in the system? How will lawmakers do the right thing? It’s surely easy enough to pontificate about all of this, but it’s really hard to construct a budget, then to pass a budget that provides needed services and spurs economic development - when all that folks are telling you is what they want from the system.
It’s those famous words of Pogo – “We have found the enemy and it is us.” Perhaps we all must work to build trust in the system together by telling each other what the government can do less of for all of us.
Governor Chris Christie in New Jersey is just the embodiment of political courage I’d like to vote for here in Wisconsin. Mike Brownfield over at Heritage serves up words of admiration for the guy in featuring the Video of the Week (which is all over the Blogosphere):
Reason hits on the same theme this morning in lamenting that the Libertarian Party is considering running a candidate against Rand Paul in November. Jacob Sullum says that’s nuts.
Does Paul really mean everything he says? Will he deliver on his promises? I don't know, but take a few minutes to consider his stated positions on "bailouts," "campaign finance reform," "health care," "inflation," "privacy & liberty," and "taxes and debt." He'd have my vote just for saying this:
The Founding Fathers warned of a Federal Government bent on usurping the power, rights, and privacy of its States and citizens. In the last nine years, the Federal Government has expanded the scope of its power at an alarming rate, while blatantly ignoring the Constitution.
Whether it’s passing the 315 page Patriot Act without a single member of Congress ever reading the bill, proposing a National ID Card, establishing FISA courts and utilizing warrantless searches, or betraying the medical privacy of ordinary citizens, the Federal Government has overstepped its limited powers as stipulated in the Constitution.
Rand Paul seeks to reassert the rights and privileges of the 50 states and over 300 million Americans. The Federal Government must return to its constitutionally enumerated powers and restore our inalienable rights. Rand proposes that America can successfully protect itself against potential terrorists without sacrificing civil liberties. Rand rejects the premise that the Federal Government must be given a blank check in the name of national security.
America can prosper, preserve personal liberty, and repel national security threats without intruding into the personal lives of its citizens.
When was the last time a Republican or Democrat even sounded this good?
Think about it. Think long and hard about the fiscal, economic and social health of Wisconsin. Think long and hard about the future of our America. Think courage when you vote in September and November.
Jo Egelhoff, FoxPolitics.net
COMMENTS
I think that courage is not that rare.
It is needed but wisdom is harder to come by.
You admire courage whan you agree with the ideology, what about when you disagree? Dean Weichmann (Thu May 27 05:30:03 2010)
Christie is to be admired for his courage to tell the people the state is broke and someone must pay either by cutting services or increasing taxes (which he won't do). I don't necessarily agree with him on details and especially don't think that any revenue sources or uses should be in any state constitution. Just look at California to see what problems those kind of constitutional mandates can be.
Rand Paul is refreshing, mostly wrong on constitutional and other issues but refreshing anyway. But the idea that not one member of congress read the Patriot Act is false. Feingold read it and voted against it. That is one of the reasons why Feingold should get and does get support across the political spectrum. dave allen (Thu May 27 07:14:03 2010)
What makes a muskrat guard his musk in the boskey bosk of the dusky dusk? Courage! The cowardly lion in the Wizard of Oz.
Courage might also be defined as standing up to a surly mob of teabaggers at a town hall meeting as they did everything in their power to shout down the convener.
I would relish more solid debate focused on the most important issues of our time. Wouldn't that be refreshing.
Real courage in my opinion would be to drop the rabid partisan politics of the present generation and lead in ways that might bring more light than heat. It would be grand if we could develop a shared vision for America and Wisconsin that respected the need to care for others while practicing thrift. We will never succeed if we continue with the current political modus operendi. billie (Thu May 27 08:07:03 2010)
Billie,
Right On! dave allen (Thu May 27 09:52:18 2010)
Billie, "drop the rabid partisan politics of the present generation.." - that is something I wholeheartedly agree with.
"All obstructions to the execution of the Laws, all combinations and associations, under whatever plausible character, with the real design to direct, control, counteract, or awe the regular deliberation and action of the constituted authorities, are destructive of this fundamental principle, and of fatal tendency. They serve to organize faction, to give it an artificial and extraordinary force; to put, in the place of the delegated will of the nation, the will of a party, often a small but artful and enterprising minority of the community; and, according to the alternate triumphs of different parties, to make the public administration the mirror of the ill-concerted and incongruous projects of faction, rather than the organ of consistent and wholesome plans digested by common counsels, and modified by mutual interests.
However combinations or associations of the above description may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely, in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people, and to usurp for themselves the reins of government; destroying afterwards the very engines, which have lifted them to unjust dominion.
Towards the preservation of your government, and the permanency of your present happy state, it is requisite, not only that you steadily discountenance irregular oppositions to its acknowledged authority, but also that you resist with care the spirit of innovation upon its principles, however specious the pretexts."
Take special note of the last sentence. Andrew Ellis (Thu May 27 12:54:23 2010)
Dean, you beat me to it. Thanks! Washington's Farewell Address is several warnings, with special wisdom that comes from Washington's long years of service and deep caring for America. Surely, our first president was a man of great courage. Here's an interesting modern-day version of the Address. Jo (Fri May 28 09:18:45 2010)
Andrew, your quote is from where? dave allen (Fri May 28 06:39:29 2010)
Dave, google the first ten words or so. I came up with lots of hits. It is from George Washinton's farwell address. One comment was that it was anti freemason. I expect that lots of different interpretations of such an address are possible. Dean Weichmann (Fri May 28 08:31:07 2010)
