Help Wanted

There are always people looking for work. Low unemployment data does not mean we are at full employment. People are always switching jobs – retiring, promotions, death and disability, shifting career profiles, and much more – hence creating empty jobs for others to claim.

There is other work to do as well. Volunteering is always with us and many ‘jobs’ go begging for willing people. And then there are duties we all are asked to do. Governance is one of those duty areas.

Democracy is not automatic. It doesn’t require us to vote occasionally. It demands much more attention – and work – than we usually give. And that’s just the point of this posting.

Trump didn’t win because a hoard of knowledgeable people voted for him. No, he won because another hoard did not do enough to understand the issues and likely personalities that would join trump to ‘govern’ our nation. Millions of citizens did not vote at all, millions more simply voted uninformed. Many more millions voted as though there were no connections between elected positions up and down the ballot.

All these actions have consequences. All of them would have worked better had ordinary people worked at understanding both the issues and potential consequences.

Democracy is not just messy; it is hard work. The process of governance requires our participation year-round if we wish for outcomes that matter to us. That’s plain and simple.  Please do not blame other people. Look squarely at the self to determine what you could have done more of or better. I think of myself as a participant in governance, but my participation ebbs and flows throughout the year. I could have done more. I could have helped others do more. I am certain the election results would have been different.

Still, there is much we can do to ensure desired outcomes have a chance to succeed. The President is not an all-powerful position. Hundreds of other office holders have a role in every act of government. Their decisions help or thwart actions and entire programs. That work is accomplished day by day, week to week, and for months and years. Edicts are not government. Of course, if we do nothing, edicts will work as government.

Interested in the work? There is much to do, and your efforts will be most welcome.

You’re hired!

December 23, 2024

 

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