TRUST

In any relationship TRUST is essential.  A loss of trust within a personal relationship is unfortunate but there are few, if any, ripple effects. In a large organization or a governing body, a breach of trust affects large numbers of people and could be devastating. Once lost, trust is difficult to recover.

In a free society, trust takes on even greater meaning.  We must trust each other to be honest, law abiding and fair.  We must trust those we choose to represent and govern us to act in our best interests without regard for political concerns.  Unfortunately, there are those among us who do not pass this test.  What are we to do?

When those who make our laws break our laws, the penalties must be more severe than for ordinary citizens who violate the same law.  The amount of trust we must have for people who can affect many lives is much greater than for our neighbor.  Therefore, the punishment must be greater because a greater trust was violated.  Unfortunately, this is not the case.  As a matter of fact, many such breaches of trust go completely unpunished.

You can see what this is leading to. For a free society to succeed, it must be able to trust its leaders but, as we know, there are a substantial number who cannot be trusted.  Since only they can make the rules that govern their behavior, we, the people, cannot force them to change them.  They forgive each other for every and any thing they may do. This lack of fairness is a clue to their collective character.

We have been hearing much about "earmarks" lately.  Some say they amount to insignificant sums of money and are inconsequential.  Billions of dollars may not mean much to some but when they are used as bribes for votes, their intent becomes more sinister. The next time your representative tell you how much money the got for our state, ask them why the federal government took the money from us in the first place.  If that excess tax money flows back to the states, it should have stayed in the state in the first place.

If this stimulates any of you to pay closer attention to what is happening to our country and to become more active in making it work the way it was intended, it has been worthwhile.  If not, may God help you and future generations.