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By Henry Lamb April 14, 2008 Page 2 of 2 C-SPAN reveals a Congress that is no longer an arena for open, honest debate -- or debate of any kind. It has become a stage for performing actors to convince the media, and their audience, of why they should be in power, and why those who disagree are not worthy of holding power. How long has it been since there was a real debate about the merits of a policy proposal, either in Congress, or among the presidential candidates? In a debate, a proponent presents an idea, and the opponent identifies the flaws in the proposed idea and offers a counter proposal -- with hope and expectation of the best possible policy outcome. What passes for political debate today is little more than an exercise in name-calling, side-stepping, and often, eloquent ambiguity. The root cause of corruption among the elected representatives in Congress is the absence of character. Character is that invisible quality that compels a person to do the right thing, even when no one is watching. Character is that quality that compelled George Washington to step down from his office as President, when he could easily have become king of America. Character is that quality that extends to every other person, any right that one claims for himself. Character is a quality closely associated with the source of the "unalienable right" to life, liberty, property, and happiness. There is no character in a government that usurps the authority to grant or deny these rights. While Congress offers a daily prayer before its proceedings, the prayer cannot escape the chamber where corruption prevails and the consent of the governed is a long forgotten impediment to the exercise of power. Every dictatorial government in the history of the world has eventually failed. The only hope for perpetual freedom is a government that honors the idea that its power must forever be limited by the consent of governed. The exercise of this belief by those who are elected is the ultimate measure of the representative's character. The exercise of this belief is also the ultimate measure of the people who do the electing. --- Henry Lamb is the Chairman of Sovereignty International , and founder of the Environmental Conservation Organization (ECO). -------------------- Note -- The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, and/or philosophy of GOPUSA. >> Back -- Page 1 2
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