A look around at the plight of the world
today makes me hang my head, or shake it. Yes, at the sad, sad state of much
of the ancient world, but even more so at the marvelous strength of these
lower-case united states, whose founders put aside differences and
memorialized shared values in a Constitution and Bill of Rights that embody
some of the most remarkable, visionary, idealistic yet realistic thinking
ever exercised by humankind, before or since. And the upper-case
United States
they created has stood for more than two centuries now as a reminder that
sometimes, when debate trumps destruction and compromise defeats coercion,
our very best instincts can prevail, and inspire, and endure.
In this annual issue that focuses on our
Virginia Legislature � the oldest English-speaking representative body in
the Western Hemisphere � it seems appropriate to remind ourselves that
democracies don�t just happen; they�re the result of blood and sweat and
lots and lots of tears, shed by lots of men and women determined to ensure
that the voice of the people will prevail, not the whims of the powerful or
the mandates of the self-elected.
Please use the enclosed Virginia State
Legislative Guide as just that: a guide to help you contact your delegate
and senator, and express your views on issues important to you, your family
and those in your community. As you do so, please remember words of wisdom
from various Americans over the years, shared herewith.
Government is too big and important to
be left to the politicians. � Chester Bowles, 20th-century businessman and
diplomat
Man�s capacity for justice makes
democracy possible, but man�s inclination to injustice makes democracy
necessary. � Reinhold Niebuhr, 20th-century theologian and author
They that can give up essential liberty
to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. �
Benjamin Franklin, 18th-century journalist, scientist, inventor, diplomat
and Founding Father
People often say that, in a democracy, decisions are made by a majority of
the people. Of course, that is not true. Decisions are made by a majority of
those who make themselves heard and who vote � a very different thing. �
Walter H. Judd, 20th-century missionary, congressman, editor and commentator
Of the many things we have done to
democracy in the past, the worst has been the indignity of taking it for
granted.
� Max Lerner, 20th-century author and newspaper columnist
One of the evils of democracy is, you
have to put up with the man you elect whether you want him or not.
� Will Rogers, 20th-century humorist and entertainer
Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone.
The people themselves, therefore, are its only safe depositories. � Thomas
Jefferson,
Virginian
,
U.S.
President, statesman, philosopher, inventor, architect, farmer and founder
of
University
of
Virginia
.
