At its core, identity is ideology . . .
Too often, local governments – those we elect – end up listening to and carrying out the recommendations of staff bureaucrats, which raises some interesting observations:
For decades we’ve been “educated” to believe that local elections are not partisan, so no party affiliations are disclosed, as party labels might sway voters.
So the potential for local government officials to sway elections in their party’s favor seems obvious.
Special interest groups that put government interests ahead of taxpayers have long held sway over local elections. They want them to be officially declared nonpartisan – because party labels will sway voters.
Any faux outrage over partisanship entering local elections is hilariously hypocritical.
Some of the indignation comes from those who routinely accuse others of being partisan because of their policy beliefs. But they insist that their positions are not partisan.
Partisanship may most often be associated with party identity but, at its very core, it’s ideology
We all have an ideology – a collection of beliefs and ideas – but some people criticize someone with whom they disagree as an “ideologue ’… just as they apply a negative connotation to ‘partisan’ while extolling their own partisan ideology by claiming that they ‘just follow the science/experts.’
But cooperation between elected officials belonging to different parties is more likely to assure more transparency and better government.
The absence of party labels confuses voters; a voter who must choose from among a group of candidates whom he or she knows nothing about will have no meaningful basis in casting a ballot.
Today, local government is political.
Affable, cheerful, sincere, political-partisans that we elect are given the authority and responsibility to spend our dollars wisely, to make decisions that benefit each citizen equally, and to assure that our schools are teaching the values of limited government and equal economic opportunity in a society that requires personal accountability.
Unfortunately, those we elected have failed us for decades.
They’ve listen to and allowed the “good government” professionals – the city managers, school administrators and the political opportunistic – those who benefit personally and professionally – to lead the process of setting the policies and making key decisions they want . . .
The reason we elect so many of the partisans is because they’re nice people; they mean well. Some just fail to understand, however, that the first part of their job is to ride herd on those whom we pay to carry out the policies to meet goals that benefit all of the community.
Too many of these seats are conceded to those who are part of the crowd who believe government is good and there should be more of it. It’s why Texas has the second-highest local debt nationally, and the 4th highest property tax rates in the nation.
Governmental staffs and the professional educationalists want these problems ignored.
When its for “the children” and “community” or “economic” development, there is no end that these partisans see to the use of taxpayer’s money.
When most of us think of government, we think of civil government with its various laws and controls.
But in the most basic of terms, there are essentially two kinds of government – internal and external. Internal government or self-government is the most important and always shapes the nature of external government.
Self-government comes from the heart and the conscience, one’s character, motives, affections, and convictions of life. Self-government affects everything in a person’s life – the way one relates to his fellowman – his speech – his aspirations – his conduct – his hopes – his future.
Every sphere of civil local government is a reflection of this internal sphere.
Shouldn’t we ask ourselves why government keeps expanding?
In fact, the more self-government the people possess, the less external forms of government are actually needed.
No government can be good – or just – unless its citizenry and rulers have learned to govern themselves.
Paris Texas seems to fear what kind of town it needs to be . . .
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