Jeff Lefebvre's Letter To The Editor10:13PM / Wednesday, April 25, 2007
What Can One Person Do
If you're anything like me, much of what you read bothers you. It's hard to be a casual bystander in America once you've watched or read information like what you find in the media today. But what can you do? What does that leave? That's the beauty of America - it leaves quite a bit.
First of all you can get active or volunteer or run for an office! Don't laugh until you've tried it. I've seen some pretty amazing things happen as a result of becoming an activist.
Second, VOTE. We've been given a powerful tool to help steer our country and government, and if we do not take advantage of it, we have no room to criticize. How can you criticize anyone choice of candidates or decisions if you don't vote in the election? How can you criticize the officials, town the state or country's choice? Do something volunteer, becoming activist. If you don't vote in the general election don‘t whine. Not many countries allow their citizens to have this kind of power, and you are a fool if you don't exercise it. The only thing a politicians fears is the four letter word: vote. You don’t vote, you are a servant to them, and if you vote you are a constituent.
Finally, volunteer, become an activist or run for an office. The most amazing thing about this country in which we live is that anyone at all can be elected. After thousands of years of societies that were ruled by aristocracy and royalty, the very concept of allowing the common man to hold office is revolutionary and exciting.
If you can't find a candidate you can believe in to represent you, become one. Run for local office, and you may be able to parlay that into something bigger. Then you might get a better idea of what it is that our elected leaders face every day, and you might just develop a little more respect for them, even the ones you disagree with.
Until you've done all three of those, don't even try to tell me that government doesn't work anymore. When our founding fathers created this country, they knew there would be abuses of power and good old boy corrupt leaders. That's why they designed the system to be resilient, withstanding the abuses with a minimum of disturbance. Current politicians have stretched things even further than the founding fathers ever dreamed they could, kind of Machiavellian -“Mr. Bush†-but the system is still there, and it still is waiting for the right people to become an activist or a volunteer or be elected and change the laws back to the way they should be.
Our Veterans and our Soldiers have given so much for these rights, and especially voting so get off your best intentions and do it. Vote, become an activist or a volunteer or run for an office. Run. God bless America!!!
Jeffrey Lefebvre
46 East Jordan St.
Adams, Ma. 01220
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