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Show Me the Constituents

By Daniel Fedora

August 10, 2008

Shame on you, Woodward. U.S. Rep. Frank Lucas was at High Plains Technology Center for a town hall meeting Thursday morning. For those of you who do not know, that’s your congressman--that’s your personal representative in the Congress of our beloved republic. Lucas is one of only 435 congressmen who make decisions for everyone in this country of nearly 305 million, and he happens to be the only one that answers directly to you.

The U.S. Census Bureau reports the population of Woodward as of the 2000 census was nearly 12,000 people. Out of that 12,000, less than 30 took the time to attend Lucas’ meeting.

A wise and courageous man named Thomas Jefferson (remember him?) once said, “Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves are its only safe depositories.”

Sadly, in this dreary year of our Lord 2008, the people of Woodward (that’s you) have collectively decided to throw the precautionary advice of perhaps our nation’s pre-eminent statesman to the wind.

Fair enough. Jefferson’s been dead nearly 200 years, and what did he know anyway?

He knew what it’s like to live under a tyrannical regime in which the people have no say in determining the course of their own government and no recourse when that government goes awry.

He knew that in order for any government to truly function as one of, by and for the people, the people must be interested and informed, and the people must participate.

He knew that no official elected by the people can truly represent those people unless the people tell that official how they wish to be represented.

He knew that citizenship in a democratic republic is a chore, but it is the duty of every citizen to perform that chore, lest we find ourselves again faced with the grim, inevitable alternative that is tyranny.

You do not have a right to participate in government. You have a responsibility. It is your civic duty, and seemingly few of you take it seriously.

This town hall meeting was a rare and golden opportunity to make your voices heard. Lucas did not come to Woodward simply to exercise his vocal chords, though given that he is a politician, that probably was at least a secondary motivator.

Lucas did come to Woodward to hear what you have to say. And what did he hear? A dozen or so scatter-shot questions from those few who chose not to shirk their responsibilities, but to make time to assist the congressman in making your decisions on your behalf.

These congressmen work for us, but when the boss (remember, that’s you) is away, the representatives will play, which is exactly what they’ve been doing for as long as I can recall.

So, Woodward, where were you Thursday morning?

I understand that many of you are busy. I know that jobs take up a lot of time. I know that many of you have familial and other obligations. But many of you--many, many more than actually attended the meeting--could have spared a single hour to perform your civic duty by taking part in your own government. One does not HAVE time to take part in determining the future course of our nation--one MAKES time, regardless of what other responsibilities may conflict.

Not one among you would allow another to decide what you’ll eat, what you’ll wear or with whom you’ll associate, and yet you freely allow decisions on a much grander scale to be made for you by a man most of you do not know personally and about whom most of you know very little.

Congratulations, Woodward. You are guilty of the inexcusable jackassery that has become pervasive throughout a country once populated by a citizenry possessed of a desire to rule themselves and the willingness to do their part to make it happen and to keep it happening.

How far we’ve fallen in so short a time.

Those of us who attended Lucas’ meeting are not to blame for the shenanigans occurring daily on Capitol Hill.

The rest of you are very much to blame, and I do not believe it is overly presumptuous of me to say I speak for all those who do take an interest in our government and who do participate in the process of governance when I say we do not appreciate your apathy.

I applaud those few who chose to make time to attend the meeting.

As for the rest of you, you should be ashamed of yourselves. I certainly am.

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