A post by "Geoff Rupe" Geoff Rupe is an IT Professional with 20 years working with companies and individuals using project management and business analysis to create, implement, and manage solutions to business needs relating to Information Technology. Over the years, Geoff has been active in creating solutions for small "mom and pop" business to large multi million dollar companies and international organizations. Geoff has been very non-political until recently when he has become disappointed with the way government is progressing. His opinion has become. We as individuals must be active in the direction of our government. If you do not get involved and let your opinions be known, you cannot expect change.

“How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don’t think.” ~Adolf Hitler

If you take just a moment to consider and analyze your public servants, in both the state and Federal Congress, you will likely find that they more often “tell” us what is right rather than “ask” us what is right. In these cases, they are really not being a valuable public servant, or you can say, a poor service provider. It is our choice and responsibility as citizens to hold our public servants responsible for their actions, just like you hold your mechanic accountable for his actions.

Your mechanic perhaps tells you, after the service is completed, “Oh, I went ahead and changed your air filter because I thought you would want me to. I know you do not work on cars so you are not very good at making these decisions.” Would you feel that that mechanic provided you a valuable service or perhaps did he just spent your money by presuming he is better fit to make such decisions for you? Since it is our car, and our decision weather to spend additional money on it, how can we assume he has provided us a good service?

Our mechanic, like our public servants should act in a way that will earn our trust by making responsible decisions based on our needs, not his opinion of our needs. Our Congress continues to believe that they are all knowing of what is best for us and in recent days, seems so convinced of this that our opinions do not matter it seems.

Here are a few:

• Cap and Trade: our service providers did not allow us (or themselves) to read and understand the plan.
• Stimulus: We have to pass it now or the world will end. Did we as the stakeholders even get a chance to comment on what was happening?
• Gitmo: We are closing it. Where will the criminals go, who will support them, will this benefit any community, Were we consulted on what we wanted to do?

The examples abound and only exemplify that our public servants do not do what we want, but rather what they believe will benefit us.

After all, we “the people they administer don’t think” Or do we………..

A post by "Geoff Rupe" Geoff Rupe is an IT Professional with 20 years working with companies and individuals using project management and business analysis to create, implement, and manage solutions to business needs relating to Information Technology. Over the years, Geoff has been active in creating solutions for small "mom and pop" business to large multi million dollar companies and international organizations. Geoff has been very non-political until recently when he has become disappointed with the way government is progressing. His opinion has become. We as individuals must be active in the direction of our government. If you do not get involved and let your opinions be known, you cannot expect change.

Surely everyone has heard the phrase “power corrupts and obsolete power corrupts absolutely”.  This is a fact that has been known for years, but is seldom acted upon. Why do we, the voters, voluntarily decide to keep people in office that are known to be corrupt?  Why, when we want change, do we make elect to offices people who we know will not promote change?

One thing has become obvious to me as I have become more active in politics, it is not a party problem, it is a people problem.  We, the people, are so stuck on the idea that we have to pick from a party, a democrat or a republican, that we fail to see who the people are that are actually running for the office.  We must look beyond what party do people belong to, and look at what values do these people bring to the table.

Career politicians rarely bring a lot to the table since they are mostly interested in the power that it brings to them.  Examples are not hard to find on any side of the table.  Republicans or Democrats, Libertarians or Independents, it does not matter, if you give someone continued and uninterrupted power you will receive corruption.

John Adams presented this quote in 1765. “The jaws of power are always open to devour, and her arm is always stretched out, if possible, to destroy the freedom of thinking, speaking, and writing.” Doesn’t this remind you of anything that may be happening today?  How many freedoms and liberties are at stake because of who is in office? 

We have put our trust in the parties instead of electing trustworthy people to government.  We must look at who is in the offices and demand that they are not becoming the corrupt powers that will eventually grasp our freedoms.  We must take control of our government offices and elect people that are by the people to serve for the people and be willing to move up the political ladder that is decided by the people.  The people are the key to taking America back.

Take a close look at your public servants. If they are passionate about staying where they are in office, ask yourself why.  In most cases it is not to serve the people, but to embolden the power they have received over the years.  Remember, power corrupts and obsolete power corrupts absolutely.