An American Voice- Introduction Part 2

 Ideas for a struggling Republic

By CE Marshall 

     A quick comment here in the middle of my introduction- I've decided the first blog of this book, that is,  the introduction was too long- so I've cut and pasted it in half.  This below is the second half.  It is my estimation that most blog readers really aren't interested in reading more than 2 pages- about the length of a typical Opinion piece in the newspaper (if anyone remember what those are).  If you read this and remember reading it before,  it's because you have.  I'm trying to work with the audience here and not drag things out any more than they need to be.  Perish the thought I am boring my readers !   Also, I may insert other blogs between the chapters of this book- so be warned about that !  Finally, I do plan on self-publishing "An American Voice" in case anyone is so enchanted by it that they have to have a hard copy- or at least a paperback copy from Amazon.  You never know.  

                               Photo of Abraham Lincoln at the Gettysburg address 

Introduction - Part 2 

     As an Independent minded citizen who has contempt for both major parties I see myself as a “Free Thinker”.  Admittedly I am a registered Republican because the state of Florida requires I choose a party for my voice to be heard.  That is one big reason I am in favor of establishing a “top two” system of elections- which I’ll explain in the Elections chapter.   My heart is with moderate, intelligent, passionate Americans who want to see a government for all the people, not just one side or the other.  It is outrageous how much has been lost to the parties, and they are the snakes of incompetence that slither and choke the decency out of the American public.  Both left and right leaning thought have ideas worth discussing but neither has the corner on common sense.   The idea of compromise is so important to get anything done because you’ll always have opposing views.  The intelligence and wisdom of middle thinkers is what’s missing today.  They have no voice.  I hope this book can begin to give it to them.   We can no longer trust the parties to run our government effectively.  They cannot serve the people when they consistently fail to get past disagreements and refuse to compromise or think logically.   So, through this book I endeavor to offer solutions and ideas to move things forward.   We owe it to our ancestors that have fought and struggled to bring the power to the people.  We cannot let their memory be dirtied by enabling this rich, powerful and an incompetent government of buffoons.   Too much has been sacrificed, too much blood has been spilled to let this great experiment in Democracy go to extinction.   We owe it also to our children and our posterity.  We owe them a wise, sage, efficient, effective government that enables all people and boosts the morale and inventive nature of all mankind to rise to the level that the Almighty had intended in the first place. 

 A CIVIL WAR

     In a sense we are engaged in a civil war today, in 21^st century America with the left vs right, liberal vs conservative, Democrat VS Republican.  Lincoln’s famous speech beseeches us to gird ourselves for a fight to maintain the American voice as the one sovereign voice of America.  To fight like the men did on that battlefield fought.  To fight to the death if need be. 

      “It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”  Abraham Lincoln , The Gettysburg Address 1863

       Lincoln is referring to each individual human who is capable of beauty and eloquence and creativity such that the world should applaud all 7 billion of us.   We cannot let the deaths of nearly a million American war dead in our history and as many maimed and crippled- to have been in vain.  They weren’t fighting for Kings or Queens or an autocratic government, they were fighting for you and me- right here right now.   They were fighting for an idea that every human being has merit and something to offer the world. 

     I am going to do my best to keep this book simple and straight to the point while hopefully also being eloquent and powerful.  I have read historic accounts of government and find them to be a crushing bore.  There is one big exception; “Common Sense”,  by Thomas Paine.   I hope to mimic his style and passion and get this book in the hands of as many people as I can.   Thomas Paine was arguing against the King and the monarchy while I’ll be arguing the case against the way things are done today and those that have the real power in modern society who are vested in keeping things incompetent because that incompetence is very much to their benefit (and more often than not,  the size of their bank account).   There is power in numbers but I must lay down my case to establish a system to take down the illegal and treasonous congressmen and senators haunting our capitol.  They are bought and paid for fools and their removal with intelligent and competent citizens is essential for this to succeed. 

     I won’t present these problems without solutions.  The last thing we all need is another book that understands we’re all drowning but gets stuck describing the water.  The problems are many;  national debt, crushing poverty,  infrastructure concerns, unorganized immigration, corporate greed, climate change, biased media.  The list could easily go on.  I’d like this book to focus on what would be the most help to all Americans and even all the world;  An American government of competent citizens that are concerned for their constituents above all else- all their constituents—Democrats, Republicans and Independents.   

     Through a commonality of concern for all of us, our concerns as humans, I hope we can look at problems objectively and with urgency.   We can come together and establish reasonable strategies for fixing the problems at hand through an intelligent government matched with private enterprise.   I believe there’s nothing that we can’t solve.   In addition, although I’m very suspicious of powerful government, I do feel a wise government need not be such an impossible concept.  On the contrary I think the government can do a great deal of good if it’s set up with certain constraints and is run by leaders not politicians and bureaucrats.