Democrats Have Renewed Purpose
By: Evan Koch
America, alone among nations, is a country with a purpose.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men …”
This vision of our founders was aspirational. With recent setbacks in many rights Democrats care about, we have learned the hard way that our Representative Democracy doesn’t work unless we do.
The Supreme Court won’t guarantee a federal right to abortion, and it won’t protect us from unbridled gun violence. Congress won’t approve legislation to guarantee voting rights and it does not seem ready to eliminate the filibuster to act on any of the issues we care about. The Executive branch can no longer control pollution through the Environmental Protection Agency. In Kootenai County, North Idaho College, the Board of County Commissioners, local school boards and the county library board, have all been paralyzed by politicization. It feels as if our entire government has been prevented from acting on issues that are near and dear to us by a minority that favors inequality.
In the face of all this, we have a choice. We can wallow, or we can work. We can believe in the premise that all men (and women) are created equal, and have intrinsic rights that governments are instituted to secure.
Why do we write letters to the editor? Why do we educate ourselves on local topics in weekly meetings? Why do we march alongside our sisters as they fight for their right to bodily autonomy? Why do we stand shoulder to shoulder at Pride in the Park with our LGBTQ+ friends?
Because it’s a privilege to live in a country that continues to evolve toward a more perfect union. We chose to work.
Frederick Douglass held out hope, saying that America is “a crucible of transformation.”
Not only can we engage in America’s crucible of transformation, but we must: the actions we take as engaged citizens are the fabric of our nation’s function. The founders knew that we would face challenges as our nation evolves into something better. By design, our Democracy doesn’t work unless we do.
So, light the sparklers, slice the cherry pie, watch fireworks through a child’s wondering eyes, and sing “The Star Spangled Banner” at the top of your lungs. Soak up the beauty of this place you are privileged to call home.
Then, with a renewed sense of the precious nature of what we have to lose, we will go to work. We will pick up the phone and engage with our government, testify in committees, write letters, refine our opinions, and leave our nation, and our community, better for us being here.
This year for Independence Day, let us find patriotism in our acts.
Let us take from each other the inspiration to transform our country into a more equal, indeed a more perfect, union.
