As conservatives we are called to be champions of Social Responsibility and Good Governance. You hear these phrases frequently repeated. The terms are used interchangeably by individuals and organizations trying to demonstrate an association with actions carried out for the betterment of humanity. These phrases are normally heard most from those who are faithful custodians, and from those who wish to sell us something. Unfortunately, it’s often difficult to tell the difference — at first, anyway.
Politicians like to advertise themselves as practitioners of governance and social responsibility. They harp on their families, business acumen, success in life, active participation in their church and community. They do this so much that it’s almost impossible to tell the difference between candidates, no matter which party they represent. In the end it seems that candidates are all alike, like gingerbread men and women, cut from the same mold. Each candidate strives to adopt the same desirable attributes. Consider the following:
Spouse and children? History of Public Service?
College Graduate? Teacher?
Military service? Patriot?
Lawyer? Over Achiever?
Active Churchgoer? Community service?
Social Change Advocate? Works with Kids?
It’s hard to find a candidate who doesn’t check most of these boxes, and then takes every opportunity to tell us about it.
The problem with real Social Responsibility and Good Governance is that it’s not sexy. What you have achieved over the course of your career doesn’t sell. Real social responsibility has to do with ensuring everyone has equal access to services and opportunity under the law, and that individuals are held responsible for their actions and outcomes. Good Governance means that governmental responsibilities, as defined by the electorate and with the means provided by the electorate, are executed with little interference in the life of a citizen.
The purpose of a government is to serve the people. It should not be an institution of elitists, deciding what is best for the electorate.
We all have goals in life, perhaps problems we might fix if we could, or things we think we understand better than others. For some that subject might be the education system, for others, it might be health care, or the military, or how we address the environment. When these individuals are elected, they should accept their responsibilities with only electorate’s mandate in mind. However, frequently this is not the case. Initially public servants seem to consider their mandate, but over time they drift toward their own goals. For example over the last 30 years we have sent representatives to Congress to address the following problems:
Balance the budget
Fix the cost of Health Care \ Make insurance affordable
End the un-ending wars
Reduce Taxes
Apply Term limits to public positions
Fix foreign trade deficits
Fix Social Security
Fix Unemployment
Fix Immigration
What have we received?
Obamacare – A huge payout to an industry that wasn’t struggling in the first place, and continued spiraling costs, and only a 10% increase in those insured.
Some 450 presidential executive orders – each new president countermanding the instructions of his predecessors.
The Trump Tax cut – A massive tax cut – which produced massive growth in revenue – which government then managed to outspend every year.
Two major corporate bailouts (one in 2008 and another in 2020)
Massive debt increases
A looted and empty Social Security Trust fund
Every election cycle we hear the same rhetoric, one party wins (and occasionally wins a majority across all chambers), and then – the expected change doesn’t happen. Good governance goes out the window. Why?
I speculate this is because voters have stopped electing servants. Instead we are electing white knights who choose to fight for personal causes rather than those of their constituents and who will soon aspire to be more like kings. In the words of Orwell – “The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.”
To depart this path, voters must change. We are entrusted with this Republic; and we alone can ensure it’s continuance. We must assume the heart of the servant; seek the quiet path of service without reward; and celebrate those that follow this path.