In George Washington’s “Rules of Civility,” we are advised to “Show not yourself glad at the misfortune of another, though he were your enemy.”

That advice isn’t really heeded in Washington, nor has it been for the last 45 years or so, but it remains good advice. And in that light I’ve been looking for something positive to draw from the nasty circus that has been generated in our capital over the last 3 years, and which now seems to reaching some sort of crescendo. In short, I’ve been searching for a silver lining, if you will.

And I think I’ve found one.

At the center of the idea of democracy – of self rule – is rejection of the idea that someone else has more of a right to be in charge of me than I do. For thousands of years princes, sultans, kings, emperors and dictators of all stripes asserted they had the “right” to rule the people, they had a “divine right,” the “mandate of heaven.” And the people needed to trust them, that the king had the wisdom to do what was best for the people, guided by heaven, with whom the king presumably had direct communications, and the people just needed to obey.

We’ve changed the titles, but there are any number of Congressmen and Senators who posture themselves as if they’ve been divinely set above us.

But democracy rejects that idea, giving to the people the power to choose for themselves.
And with that choosing comes a lack of trust, a certain disrespect, for those in public office.

This lack of trust is clearly expressed in the documents of the founding of this country; the Declaration of Independence states that our rights precede government and indeed come directly from “our Creator;” and that governments only derive powers from “the governed.”

The Constitution then blares the point out in the preamble (the first three words in particular): “We the People… ordain and establish” the government. Finally, in two of the (sadly) most overlooked amendments of the Bill of Rights, all concerned are reminded that: “…the enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights, does not deny or disparage other rights held by the people” (IX Amendment), and that “…powers not delegated to [federal] government are reserved to the states or the people.” (X Amendment).

In short, rights precede government – and hence are superior to government powers, and that powers given to government are limited to those expressly granted to the government – by the people.

Put in simpler terms, governments work for the people, not the other way around. It’s not too far a reach to consider that your Mayor, Governor, Congressman, etc., should stand up when you enter the room; after all, they work for you, government is the servant, the people are the master.

George Washington had words about that as well: “Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant, and a fearful master.”

Therein lies the silver lining. As certain as the circus being conducted in Washington continues to make a mockery of the democratic process and of the power possessed by the people to choose their own government, the one thing we can certainly take away from this affair is a renewed wariness of government.

And it’s worth noting, this is the whole point of the 2nd Amendment: make sure the master retains the ability to make the servant obey.

There is, of course, the response by some – particularly those running for office – that the people currently in office are not to be trusted, but that “they” can be, that somehow they’ve avoided all the sins and weakness, the traps and pitfalls of mankind that scream out at us from 6,000 years of recorded history.

But the truth is simpler: government was a dangerous servant, government is a dangerous servant, and government will always be a dangerous servant.

If we can just remember that simple lesson we will all have benefited from the current sad theatrical farce being played out in our capital.

Copyright 2019 Arrias
www.vicsocotra.com