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Enduring Values of Democrats
Our Founding Fathers worked out a reasonable balance of rights and responsibilities. Their Preamble to the Constitution proclaims their overarching purpose: "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a
more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish
this Constitution for the United States of America."
During the past 70 years, in periods when the Democratic party was in power, Democrats have demonstrated their commitment to all these values, including the Common Good (or, in the Founding Fathers' words, "the general
Welfare") and the rights of individuals.
Our country won World War II and established the Marshall Plan, NATO, the UN and the Peace Corps under Democratic leadership.
Unemployment insurance, the Civilian Conservation Corps, minimum wage, Social Security, the GI Bill, Head Start, federal aid to education and Medicare were all achieved under Democratic presidents, as were the civil
rights, voting rights and the Freedom of Information Act.
Other progress for the Common Good, such as clean air, enacted during a Republican presidency, required Democratic leadership in Congress.
To Democrats, promoting the "general Welfare" entails striving for adequate nourishment, shelter, health, education, safety and work for all while securing the blessings of liberty, including freedom of expression,
freedom from unreasonable searches, freedom of religion, the right to vote and the right to justice.
In the world's richest country, the "general Welfare" should encompass protection from pollution, from dangerous working conditions, from unsafe food and drugs, from unfair business practices, from threats to public
health, from violence.
Note that, according to our Founding Fathers' statement of purpose, our government is intended to advance not only our present interests but also that of "our Posterity."
Our posterity means today's children and grandchildren, their children and indeed the future of Mother Earth.
Democrats' concern for posterity can be seen in our priorities: protecting the environment, enhancing public schools, promoting sustainable energy, investing in public infrastructure and providing international leadership
for a safer world.
If Democrats were in power, you would see real work going on in these areas — which would benefit our society today and also the world that we pass on to posterity.
The tight grip that the Republican Party has on our government is hurting us now in numerous ways, but it's threatening future generations even more.
The mind-boggling debt that the Republican administration is passing on to children and grandchildren is immoral, especially since a major cause is tax breaks for those who already enjoy an unsurpassed standard of living.
How will future Americans be able to invest in their own lives, let alone their posterity, when an even bigger slice of the economy is going toward debt payments?
Why aren't we improving public schools — giving the next generation the skills needed to provide for themselves and contribute to a better world?
Why are we forcing college kids to take on mountains of debt in order to further their education? Doesn't that mean that their ability to raise a healthy family and give back to society will be cramped from the start? How
will the next generation of civic leaders, researchers, teachers, artists and family doctors develop?
What about the future devastation caused by global warming? There is no doubt among respected scientists that it has already begun and that our activities play a crucial role. Why wouldn't a government that cares about
posterity be taking every practical step to forestall disaster?
The current Republican presidency began with words that most of us appreciated: "No Child Left Behind." The slogan couldn't be further from today's reality, when more and more kids are living in poverty and fear, forced
to share old textbooks, deprived of opportunities to broaden their interests.
It's time for us to take the advice of our commonwealth's own constitution, which begins by saying that the goal of government is to "secure the existence of the body politic, to protect it, and to furnish the individuals
who compose it with the power of enjoying in safety and tranquillity their natural rights, and the blessings of life: and whenever these great objects are not obtained, the people have a right to alter the government, and to
take measures necessary for their safety, prosperity and happiness."
Future generations will thank us for altering our government, by electing officials whose motivation is to protect our liberties, keep us safe and work for the Common Good.
Catherine Bayliss is chair of the Gloucester Democratic City
Committee and a member of the Democratic State Committee. |
Gloucester
