I think I figured out the problem. It's a problem with point of view.
The point of view is important. I and many here operate from the point of view that the elected Representatives, which is what all elected positions are, Representative of those who elected them, are supposed to govern with the consent of those that put them there.
This is why so many of us have such issues with the rampant unIntelligence Agencies behavior, the most recent is the turning on of webcams to spy on people. If I elect you to office, I am not the employee, you are. You work for me, and will continue working for me so long as you continue to represent me and the rest of the voters.
We call it the House, or Congress. But it is the House of Representatives. The Senators are no longer selected by the Governors of the states, to act as ambassadors from that state to the Federal Government. They are elected and represent the people of the state to the US Senate. The President is not the Commander in Chief of the people, just the Military. For the people he is the elected head of the Federal Government, and he (she one day) is the representative of the people of this nation. When the President speaks, it is with the voice of the American People, not just his (her one day) opinion or ideals. The President speaks for all of us, especially when dealing with Foreign Governments. But for that statement to be true, the President must inform us of what he is saying in our name. Otherwise we are not the ones who elected him, we are the ones ruled by him. One is the truth, the other is a RW lie. But negotiating behind closed doors with absolute secrecy slammed down on the process makes the RW lie look a bit more true.
I love President Obama, voted for him, donated to his campaign. I take issue with some of his policies. Because that is my right as a citizen, to speak to my Government, those who represent me, and tell them what I think, what I believe. That is the right of the governed, to inform their elected officials and the public at large what we think.
They work for us. We elect them, and pay them, and for their programs with our taxes. They work for us, and are answerable to us, the people. For me, that is two Senators, a Representative in the House, and the President on the Federal side. They aren't supposed to keep everything secret from us.
The acting group Monty Python famously mocked King Arthur in the movie Holy Grail. But one bit of truth slams out of that movie to strike us all in the hearts. When Dennis explains the source of true political power.
Consent of the masses. We are the masses my friend, and we are the ones who give or refuse to give our consent to be governed. Yes, involving the public may drag the debate out some, but then at least the public is informed, and able to give its consent. Backroom deals may be a way to move things along in Washington, but it removes the consent that the Governed should give.
Right now, the first we'll hear about the treaty is when the Senate starts to debate it. We have seen when Congress takes a short amount of time to consider the situation what happens. We get unconstitutional abominations like the PATRIOT ACT. The more time we take to consider the issue, the less chance we'll make a catastrophic error. The catastrophic error is still possible, but it gives us more time to consider the matter, and to make an informed choice. SALT and START were treaties we entered into with eyes wide open. Because we had months and even years to consider the implications. NAFTA took more than a year to negotiate, and we had dozens of news stories about Mexican Trucks rampaging on the road with lunatic drivers incapable of passing any kind of drug test. Or drivers with unsafe unmaintained equipment. CAFTA was talked about some, but most people imagined it would lower the price of produce from Central American farms. Few realized it would crank up the sweat shops and have children in Nicaragua working fourteen hour days to sew jeans for us to put on our pathetic assess.
Amigo, it is normal to put things out for us to see. The spring it on us as a done deal is never a good thing, even if you trust the President implicitly, he is a man not a deity. We are human, we make mistakes, we don't fully consider some things. Or we may decide those things are not relevant to the issue at hand. Or our thinking may be out of date and not consider the newer technology available.
But in the end, it is a matter of point of view. President Obama, the Senators from Georgia, and John Barrow work for me and all the others in the district, the state, and the nation. I am only one voice, but if you want my support, you have to talk to me, and tell me what you're up to. If you don't, then my support and consent is withheld.
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