Strengthening Our Democracy
At the cornerstone of a strong democracy is an engaged electorate. The primary responsibility of this electorate is to hold their elected officials accountable, thereby ensuring that their elected officials represent those who voted them into office. Unfortunately, there are times when out of touch politicians lose sight of this fact. They stop interacting with everyday people which leads to special interests and political whims guiding their decision making. When this occurs, our democracy is weakened as our government starts working for special interests instead of the people’s interest.
Sunday marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of former President Ronald Reagan. Reagan believed deeply that our liberty and freedom transcended partisan politics. He believed that “We the people” should tell government what to do, and not the other way around. He believed that in order for our country to be great, the electorate must push forward in pursuit of our goals and demand that our government acts accordingly on our behalf.
Reagan also believed that the best decisions are locally made decisions, and if decisions were going to be made somewhere other than locally, it should only be done after receiving great input from those who would be impacted. This is one of the reasons I believe it is so important to remain closely connected with those who have sent me to Jefferson City to fight on their behalf. While I work hard to bring the attention of state lawmakers to northwest Missouri so that they understand our opportunities and challenges, there is nothing more impactful then when ordinary people from our part of the state come and share their thoughts and beliefs.
A democracy will only remain strong if citizens are actively involved in the political and legislative processes. Now more than ever, we need hard working Missouri citizens holding our government accountable and demanding a government that works for them. It is time to put an end to the reckless governing that led to a record high national debt and a trampling of our liberties and freedoms. It is time that every level of government is reminded that our democracy and our country has been great and will continue to be great not because of big government programs but because of “We the People.”
As always, please feel free to call, email, or write with your ideas or concerns. The Capitol number is (573) 751-1415, my email is brad.lager@senate.mo.gov and my mailing address is Room 422, State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101.
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