Federalist

“Listen to the people”—that would be a better title to this discourse. History has shown that it takes time for some people in power to learn that lesson. King Louis XVI of France lost his head over the idea. The following demonstrates that Alexander Hamilton had an easier time of it.

1. “I have learned to hold popular opinion of no value.” – Alexander Hamilton – in a letter to George Washington – 1794
2. “It is on great occasions only, and after time has been given for cool and deliberate reflection, that the real voice of the people can be known.” – George Washington – May 1, 1796
3. “The first thing in all great operations of such a government as ours is to secure the opinion of the people.” – Alexander Hamilton – February 2, 1799

Obviously it took five years for Hamilton to come to his senses, regarding the value of public opinion. Two significant ideas can be reaped from the writings of these two founding fathers.  

1. The first is Hamilton’s change of heart in a period of five years. In 1799, the phrase “to secure the opinion of the people” means to find out how they feel about a certain proposal. This did not mean to stuff an idea down their throats. It took him five years to learn this lesson.
2. The second is Washington’s recognition of the need that “time has been given for cool and deliberate reflection”. He valued the “real voice of the people”, as well as the time it takes to deliberate.

This is true today, as it was then. Sadly, many leaders in Washington DC feel that boisterous townhall meetings, teeming with angry Americans, consider them “Astroturf” or a “mad mob”. In the first place, “Astroturf” is something you step on. Our founding fathers adopted a motto about that, in our dispute with Great Britain—“don’t tread on me”. “Don’t tread on me” was relevant then and even more appropriate now. This “mad mob” has been maligned and accused of being employed by the “vast right-wing conspiracy” or “wealthy lobbyists”. To set the record straight, the only people paid to attend a townhall meeting are those from ACORN, who are paid to disrupt and silence the American majority.

Furthermore, I would ask, “What is the rush?” The attitude that things must be done within a certain deadline is pure folly and makes me question the real motives of those in a rush. Whatever the topic, be it healthcare, stimulus et al, we should be more deliberate, giving time for the people to determine what is “good” or “right”. Not only should we ask if our legislators have read a proposal, but also, “Who wrote the darn thing?” The answers are mystifying and they change every day.

I commend those legislators who had the courage to meet with the people, many of them angry, to listen to them in the light of day. To those elected officials who were too cowardly to convene a townhall meeting, I tell you to fear the people on election day. Alexander Hamilton saw the light; it is time you did the same.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 9th, 2009 at 6:07 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.