By the time you read this, the elections will be completed, the votes counted and hopefully, results known. We will talk about winners and losers, who has control over the House and Senate, and our concerns based on the outcomes of the election.
What I doubt you will hear is a forward perspective on rolling up our sleeves and learning how to work together for the people of this country. I am weary of the political ads, the focus on the election, the rhetoric, and the overwhelming pervasiveness of politics in everything.
When did this happen? It is as though someone flipped a switch and we stepped into a different reality. This new reality is so very difficult. I am holding onto friendships and some family members by a thread. Differences of opinion are best avoided. Listening often feels like a lost art. Is it the same for you?
How do we change those things that contribute to the divide and current state of our country? I don't need to list them, you live with these and the impacts every day.
Moving back to the center will happen through identifying and reaching an agreement on common ground.
Benjamin Franklin, in his final speech before the Constitutional Convention, said: "…when you assemble a number of men to have the advantage of their joint wisdom, you inevitably assemble with those men, all their prejudices, their passions, their errors of opinion, their local interests, and their selfish views."
He understood the difficulty in their task, but he believed that the Constitution, "with all its faults," was better than any alternative that was likely to emerge. Our Founding Fathers sought and found that common ground and articulated it in our Constitution.
If there is a lesson in all of this, it is that our Constitution requires the constant attention and devotion of all citizens. There is a story told that upon exiting the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin was approached by a group of citizens asking what sort of government the delegates had created. His answer was: "A republic, if you can keep it."
The Convention of States movement is aimed at restoring this nation to the principles of government that made it a shining example to the rest of the world. The goals of the Convention of the States are:
- Fiscal restraints on the federal government
- Limiting the power and jurisdiction of the federal government
- Limiting the terms of office for its officials and for members of Congress
The US Constitution has survived the crises in the past. It has become our nation's most powerful symbol of unity.
Join us as we once again come together with a vision and goal of using common ground to repair our country and ensure our Republic continues to survive.
Learn about the Convention of the States movement here.
'One nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all.'
