Who Represents You? Our Government in Action

The newly elected Congress is now in session and some of the new members are already causing a stir. I’m anxious to see if all those fine folks are ready to actually govern and legislate or simply obstruct and investigate. Hopefully, they will set about doing their actual jobs, starting with passing a real budget to fund our government, even the “non-essential” parts. Here are a few of my thoughts on the subject.

In a representative form of government (such as the Constitutional Republic in which we live), it is the responsibility of the citizens to choose people who will “represent” them at the various levels. I wrote an article a while back encouraging voters to be informed, rather than ignorant, and to be smart enough to elect representatives who actually shared their beliefs. I find it truly sad to see how many people fail to understand this simple concept. And I was surprised that people were offended by the suggestion!

I think the system works much better on the local level, but even then there are always occasions that make me wonder. I spent most of my adult life working in public schools where school board members are locally elected. I am a firm believer in local control, but electing representatives with little or no education always seemed foolish to me. I can appreciate that local citizens, particularly parents, should be involved in setting local policies, but electing someone with less than a high school degree to the school board? Seriously? But I have seen it done. And I have watched people like this rant and rave and propose outlandish things because they didn’t know and understand the system. Or the law. Over the years, I’ve had frequent conversations with various board members in which I often said the same thing over and over, “That’s not legal.” Well-intentioned or not, they were ignorant of the law and sometimes even the most basic of educational procedures. Yet, they had been chosen to represent their community.

When you get beyond the level of city government, you find other issues. No matter how well-meaning someone might be, it just becomes more and more difficult for an individual to truly represent a large and sometimes diverse population. As a Texan, I understand that there are areas of my state that have an entirely different set of values and priorities than myself. Having 36 US House members gives us some chance to provide representation for all, but choosing only two people to represent all of us in the Senate is not an easy task.

And then of course, there’s the Presidency. Is it even remotely possible to elect a single person who can represent all of us? Probably not, but that’s okay. It’s why the founders created such a delicate system of checks and balances. Liberals, you will survive Donald Trump, just like the Conservatives survived the Obama years. The reality is that we need to trust the system and stop acting like a bunch of spoiled brats throwing a tantrum every time we don’t get our way. (We also need to stop acting like everything Trump says is solely his individual opinion. Like it or not, 63 million people in this country voted for him because they too share some of those same beliefs.)

Which brings me back to my original question, who represents you? Sadly, many politicians have become such public figures that I wonder if they truly still represent their constituents or not. Many appear to be looking out for themselves and worrying mostly about how to get re-elected. On the national level, most have become extremely wealthy and many border on being celebrities who appear almost daily on the news. Are they still representing the people who elected them, or are they seeking fame and fortune and maybe looking for that next high paying job in politics? The Presidency perhaps?

I was thinking about one of the newest members of Congress, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She has certainly made herself a celebrity rather quickly. I wonder why the people of New York would choose her to represent them. I can understand the appeal of picking someone born and raised in your district, a person who understands the trials and tribulations of your particular area. But when you grab an obscure part-time waitress/bartender and send her to Congress, shouldn’t you expect some questions? (That would be like picking some junior senator/community organizer and making him the president!) More troubling, of course, is the fact that she is an avowed Socialist with apparently no real understanding of how government works.

Some of her more recent comments have made her the “queen of the meme” and Dinesh D’Souza, author and filmmaker, recently called her “the stupidest person elected to public office.” https://www.newsweek.com/dinesh-dsouza-says-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-stupidest-person-elected-public-1231393 I understand his point, but has he looked around Washington lately? Congress seems to be over-represented by stupid people. Between Spartacus, Lie-awatha, Pelosi, Schumer, Waters, etc. there seems to be no shortage of clowns. I just hope the people I have voted for will stay on task and stay out of the news. (It’s not about you! You’re supposed to be up there representing me!)

But as for AOC, honestly, I hope she does well. I hope she learns and matures and becomes a true representative of her congressional district. The people there chose her. Hopefully, she will do what is best for those people and remember why they sent her to Congress in the first place. And the same goes for the rest of those folks in office. Remember who sent you there and why!