This election year is loaded with challenges.
Simply enduring it will be the first as our senses will be
endlessly assaulted by those eager to convince us they have the answer; second,
will be the challenge of separating fact from fiction; third, are the
protagonists truly altruistic or is it simply the rude pursuit of power?; and,
fourth and within all that, do they really have any idea of what it is they are
talking about?
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| Lincoln at Gettysburg. |
Most politicians, from those of Local Government through to the
dizzy heights of the federal stage, descend from their respective platforms
loaded with personal baggage that clouds perspectives and their appeal to the
populist view cloaks individual agendas
Having encountered politicians of all stripes, it seems they
are “trained” in giving convincing and wordy answers that appear to relate to
the question, but in reality, mostly have nothing to do with it.
Most electors accord our politicians the respect their
position warrants and it seems that in response those same politicians should
respect those who may or may not vote for them.
It appears, interestingly, that they do, but therein lies
the strange disconnect between reality and democracy, or what President Abraham
Lincoln described at Gettysburg in 1863 midway through the American civil war
as the government of the people, by
the people, for the people.
The rhetoric of
that articulate president lives with many today, but few have the intellectual
or leadership capacities to live up to that ideal.
Some people argue
at length that the idea of government is contrary to the process that is to the
broad betterment of the people, suggesting that government, loaded down by its
bureaucratic processes, frustrate and frequently deny the ambitions of many.
That, it seems,
is an extreme anarchical or libertarian view; doctrines that depend on the
altruism of all, a personality trait missing from most, even many of our present
political players.
Acknowledging the
differences and intrigues of human nature it appears we do need a government,
but not one many would argue that has a controlling impact over our daily
affairs.
All that seems
fine until something, whether man-made or natural, gets out of step and then
there is an instant cry for help –“Why weren’t we told?” “Who’s responsible?”
“When does the clean-up start?” “Who’s in charge?” “Where’s the discipline?”
All these
matters, at their heart, are about community and altruism, and, no matter how
loose, some form of administration, government by another name, is needed.
A recent meeting
in Shepparton discussed the effectiveness of our present three layers of
government - local, state and federal - and there appeared consensus about
abolition of the states, leaving a Federal Government backed by regional bodies.
