Here in America we have seat belt laws. These laws are in place for a good reason. It has been proven over and over again that seat belts save lives and reduce injuries in the event of an accident.
Yes, I know that there a still people out there that will dispute these findings, but I personally support the legislation that enacted these laws. I mention this law for one reason. I know that there are some people out there that feel that this is the government overreaching and shoving their whims down our collective throats. I also know that a lot of people feel that way because that’s what our government does best…shoves things down our collective throats. I think it’s time for change.
Somewhere along the line, our elected officials got it in their collective heads that their personal or party ideology was what got them elected. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Elected officials are actually elected to be representatives of the people. They are not supposed to be up there on that hill imposing the government’s will on their constituents. They are supposed to be up there imposing our will on the government.
Every time I hear about party leaders pressuring a representative to change their vote on something to tow the party line, it burns my butt. When did they decide that they know better than me what I want to happen? Since I’ve voted in every election since I was old enough to vote, I kind of know what I want my elected leaders to do…represent me, not promote their own personal agenda.
Here in Nashville, about a decade or so ago, we had a city councilman introduce legislation that was incredibly stupid and controversial. In fact, it was so stupid I can’t even remember what the particular legislation was about. What I do remember though, was that this particular councilman was dragged through the mud in the press for even thinking that this was a good idea. His response was something like; “This is not my idea and I’m not really in favor of it. I was elected to represent the viewpoints of all of my constituents and this is what they want, not what I want. My job is to represent them, not represent myself.”
Bravo young man. You get it.
During this period of time, I was running for city council as well. And to tell you the truth, I’ve never felt more like a prostitute in my life than the time I was campaigning for elected office. I had to go to meetings and gatherings that I didn’t care about. I had to listen to people tell me ideas that I thought were stupid as hell. I had to act interested in things that bored the crap out of me. But, the one thing that stood out for me the most was this; 51% of the population can be wrong!
Our elected officials fall into the trap of thinking that they know what’s right for us. They think their opinion is worth more than ours because they are elected officials. But in reality, we the people didn’t send them up there to impose their ideals on us. We sent them up there to impose our ideals on the government, even if they think we’re wrong. If 51% of the population wants something to happen, then they need to make it happen. If it turns out to be a colossal failure, then I’m pretty certain that 51% of the population will want our elected representatives to change it to something better.
Our elected official’s job is not to save us from ourselves. Their job is to do what we want, even if we’re wrong…except in the case of seatbelts. They actually got that one right.
© Copyright Chuck Koehler/Koehler’s Khronicles 2016
Yes, I know that there a still people out there that will dispute these findings, but I personally support the legislation that enacted these laws. I mention this law for one reason. I know that there are some people out there that feel that this is the government overreaching and shoving their whims down our collective throats. I also know that a lot of people feel that way because that’s what our government does best…shoves things down our collective throats. I think it’s time for change.
Somewhere along the line, our elected officials got it in their collective heads that their personal or party ideology was what got them elected. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Elected officials are actually elected to be representatives of the people. They are not supposed to be up there on that hill imposing the government’s will on their constituents. They are supposed to be up there imposing our will on the government.
Every time I hear about party leaders pressuring a representative to change their vote on something to tow the party line, it burns my butt. When did they decide that they know better than me what I want to happen? Since I’ve voted in every election since I was old enough to vote, I kind of know what I want my elected leaders to do…represent me, not promote their own personal agenda.
Here in Nashville, about a decade or so ago, we had a city councilman introduce legislation that was incredibly stupid and controversial. In fact, it was so stupid I can’t even remember what the particular legislation was about. What I do remember though, was that this particular councilman was dragged through the mud in the press for even thinking that this was a good idea. His response was something like; “This is not my idea and I’m not really in favor of it. I was elected to represent the viewpoints of all of my constituents and this is what they want, not what I want. My job is to represent them, not represent myself.”
Bravo young man. You get it.
During this period of time, I was running for city council as well. And to tell you the truth, I’ve never felt more like a prostitute in my life than the time I was campaigning for elected office. I had to go to meetings and gatherings that I didn’t care about. I had to listen to people tell me ideas that I thought were stupid as hell. I had to act interested in things that bored the crap out of me. But, the one thing that stood out for me the most was this; 51% of the population can be wrong!
Our elected officials fall into the trap of thinking that they know what’s right for us. They think their opinion is worth more than ours because they are elected officials. But in reality, we the people didn’t send them up there to impose their ideals on us. We sent them up there to impose our ideals on the government, even if they think we’re wrong. If 51% of the population wants something to happen, then they need to make it happen. If it turns out to be a colossal failure, then I’m pretty certain that 51% of the population will want our elected representatives to change it to something better.
Our elected official’s job is not to save us from ourselves. Their job is to do what we want, even if we’re wrong…except in the case of seatbelts. They actually got that one right.
© Copyright Chuck Koehler/Koehler’s Khronicles 2016
RSS Feed