Letter to the Editor

Put 'republic' back in Republican

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Dear editor:

Your editorial blamed apathy for the lack of candidates for our local offices. What looks like apathy may be something else.

How about angst or anger or disgust or distrust?

Here are some other colorful words that come to mind -- disingenuous and disenfranchised.

There are plenty of reasons for a lack of participation in the political process.

Politics is a dirty business but it need not be if debate and dissension are embraced and the people are listened to when they do speak.

Many times citizens have presented themselves and offered their opinions and counsel only to be ignored, even when the voices have been voluminous and plenty loud.

James Madison in Federalist #10 said: "Among the numerous advantages promised by a well constructed Union, none deserves to be more accurately developed than its tendency to break and control the violence of faction."

Factions of today are our political parties and when they seek to do violence to our Republic by silencing voices and selecting "pure" candidates and disenfranchising the very people they are to represent -- then we must do as one of our founding fathers has directed and break the violence of faction.

In my view, and I believe that view is shared by no less than Madison, Adams, Washington and Paine, the task of a county partisan central committee is twofold. Recruit qualified candidates for all offices, even non-partisan offices and get people to the polls to vote.

A third function is statutory -- provide names of qualified candidates to the appropriate authority in the event an elected official is unable to fulfil their elected obligation.

Central committees should generate interest and confidence in the process.

If we all help we can put the republic back in Republican.

-- Tim Corder