Governments are formed to preserve life and property. Governments have power, which is entrusted to people and therefore, subject to abuse.
In Monarchies, the preservation of life and property extends little beyond the royal family and all are subject to the whims of the ruler.
In Aristocracies that preservation is reserved for the few. In Socialist states that preservation is proportionally granted to party members in accordance with their rank; all others share equally in the leftovers.
In Republics that preservation is granted to the majority with the caveat, the majority will not deny the minority the same preservation. The danger in such an arrangement is that the majority may not always respect the rights of the minority. Some people, relying on their own social feelings of purity and generosity, and without the benefit of experience, will ignore the danger, trample on the rights of the minority, and promote their own purpose.
People are known to be selfish. Respect for others is often overridden by ulterior motives. This can be said of both congressional parties acting independently or in conjunction with one another.
When people crowd together, in support of a common issue (or political purpose), they can be fed a common hatred, encouraged to ignore their own good conscience, and to engage in bad, even criminal, behavior.
The fate of our Republic lay in the hands of the men and women elected to congress. I wish I could say, I trust most of them, to act in good conscience for the betterment of “we the people” and our nation; I cannot; too often conscience is deluded by an unconscious bias or simple greed. I would like to say that the members of our congress are people of the highest moral character and integrity; I cannot; good character seems to perish in the coercive environment of government and law. I would like to say, members of congress believe, “Honesty is the best policy”; but saying so would be dishonest.
Al
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