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11/6/2008
To follow one's conscience or one's constituents
The wisdom of Edmund Burke is sound advice that merits a repeat posting at a time when legislators might be more prone (??) to contemplating their principles.
The Father of Conservatism began a letter on the 3rd of November, 1774 commenting on an opinion of a fellow representative in the House of Commons: “I wish [this] topic had been passed by at a time when I have so little leisure to discuss it.” The bane of a blogger!
Constituents vs. Principles
Burke “blogged” about “the coercive authority of instructions,” i.e., the wishes of his constituents. In no uncertain terms, Burke says, with some apology to those who elected him, his principles must outweigh the “instructions” of his constituents. It’s a short, rich read, especially for anyone ever elected to representative office – do I vote as my constituents wish or do I vote my principles?
“[An elector’s constituents’ ] wishes ought to have great weight with him; their opinion, high respect; their business, unremitted attention. It is his duty to sacrifice his repose, his pleasures, his satisfactions, to theirs; and above all, ever, and in all cases, to prefer their interest to his own. But his unbiassed [sic] opinion, his mature judgment, his enlightened conscience, he ought not to sacrifice to you, to any man, or to any set of men living. These he does not derive from your pleasure; no, nor from the law and the constitution. They are a trust from Providence, for the abuse of which he is deeply answerable. Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion….
“…government and legislation are matters of reason and judgment, and not of inclination; and what sort of reason is that, in which the determination precedes the discussion; in which one set of men deliberate, and another decide; and where those who form the conclusion are perhaps three hundred miles distant from those who hear the arguments?....
“…parliament is a deliberative assembly of one nation, with one interest, that of the whole; where, not local purposes, not local prejudices, ought to guide, but the general good, resulting from the general reason of the whole.”
All this is to say, in the very specific politics of a heady election season, fiscal conservatives, stick with your principles. Though pressure abounds from all sides, vote your conscience. Vote in the interest of the general good. Vote for smaller government. More importantly, vote for fiscally responsible government. Stick to your guns. You will do great.
Again, Burke is the blogger through and through all the way to his close:
” I beg pardon for saying so much on this subject. I have been unwillingly drawn into it; but I shall ever use a respectful frankness of communication with you. Your faithful friend, your devoted servant, I shall be to the end of my life: a flatterer you do not wish for.”
Jo Egelhoff, editor, FoxPolitics.net
COMMENTS
Profound statements come along rarely in popular discourse but this is one of my favorites for all candidates to hear:
Bill Moyers in a recent address defined 'in the public interest' as separate and wholly different from 'what the public is interested in.' Even though I did not construct the prepositional phrase correctly that's the idea. Moyers applied this to the subject of mass media and journalism and how the fourth estate failed to
act in the former with preference to the latter.
In public service as well the same dictum should be in practice.
Here would follow a long list of questions as to what is in the public interest as opposed to what the public is interested in.
Is big money from WMC shoehorning in Supreme court judges who are marginal at best in the public interest?
Is deference to big and also small business and short term profit in the public interest?
Is the health of the whole population and access to that health care in the public interest?
You get the idea.
When framed in this way, government service looks nothing like an application of public interest and hasn't for many many years.
Lon Ponschock (Wed Sep 10 11:53:31 2008)
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