Can Governments change?
Submitted by PAforClark on July 29, 2008 - 6:32am.
Government Reform
Here is Pennsylvania we have a few muckrakers that are trying to make changes in how the State Assembly does business. When the state legislators voted themselves an obscene pay raise in the middle of the night without following the State Constitution, they had a big impact on mobilizing many voters in the state to have it rescinded and then vote many of those legislators out of office.
They have worked for reform on state Sunshine Laws, reform of lobbyist disclosure and most recently are involved with the scandal and prosecution of elected officials and staff who were paid by taxpayer money for partisan campaign activities.
These are ordinary people with other jobs who are making a difference in Pennsylvania -- it's been slow going, but change is happening.
I believe it can happen in Washington DC as well.
"Each member of the group's cast of characters has his own political persuasion and priorities - not to mention colorful turns of phrase and memorable props to enliven the good-government message. But all are motivated by the same philosophy: State government needs fixing and elected officials aren't doing the job.
"There is a cancer on the Capitol," said Gene Stilp, founder of Taxpayers and Ratepayers United and one of the more visible Coalition members. "The question is if it's incurable."
Love them or hate them - and many hate them - this small group of activists has had a big impact on Harrisburg's political landscape. Since 2005, their work has helped push out a Supreme Court justice and almost a quarter of the legislature."
to take our rights and our government, and even our planet, for granted -- assuming it will always be there to serve us. The American people have had powerful examples over the past 8 years of what happens when we become preoccupied with our own personal affairs and merely hope for the best in a bad situation, -- the bad situation being the Bush/Cheney debacle.
I also believe that governments can change, but it requires citizens waking up to their responsibility to help affect that change. I enjoyed reading this story about the efforts in Pennsylvania.
Edmund Burke once said, "When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a comtemptible struggle."
Sooner or later, circumstances force us to sit up and pay attention and become involved, or risk losing it all. When we come to the realization that we can individually do things to help make a difference, we can collectively bring about change. I am heartened by the number of Americans who are waking up and becoming involved in the struggle to bring about change in our country, and who are also beginning to realize that we must take steps immediately to bring about climate change reform. Our lives literally depend upon change happening.
local and national problems. Once the change starts happening, I don't think it can be stopped. Getting the ball rolling takes time and persistence.
Thank goodness for those few in Harrisburg who never want to shut up!
"It takes two to speak the truth - one to speak and one to hear." - Henry David Thoreau
which is one reason we don't always notice change for the worse until it's become a LOT worse.
It sounds like the people in your state have started to take the steps necessary to start that incremental change for the better, and my hats off to them.
The government seems so overwhelmingly powerful that it's easy to back away from trying to hold their feet to the fire, and claiming it's too late, or too hard, or that it won't do any good to throw the bums out anyway because the next batch will be just as bad so why bother.
When even a small dedicated group does take the time and effort to "bother" though, change can happen.
Sure, some in the next batch may end up being "just as bad", but when the batch is continually scrutinized, and the bad weeded out again and again, eventually there can be a turn around.
Our problem sometimes is that we want it all and we want it NOW! So instead of accepting small improvements as the norm we shrug and ridicule reformers for what we see as their "lame efforts" and don't bother to join them.
Governments can change.
The question is are we willing to put in the tedious work that will make them change.