I have posted this video clip a few times before in various places, but I cannot resist doing it again as we come up to May Day (the International Workers Day, not just the spring & flower celebration)  on May 1st.  Occupy has called for a General Strike that day, here is some inspiration.

We the People are Just Annoying Peasants

This is true by practices in most levels and arms of our government today. However this has always really been the case from long before we became the United States.

There is a long list of examples of why “we the people” are just words on a page and not practiced. Some are for practical reasons like a pure democracy or rule by the people would be unmanageable. Others because the elite (even your little town elite) do not want us involved in making any real decisions about our collective lives. The former makes sense and is reasonable, however the latter is not.

I will explore this in more detail starting on May Day 2024. If you have any examples of this on your own, please share. In the meantime, here is one example:

Several years ago now, a group of informed local citizens in Douglas County, Oregon were researching different things our local county commissioners were doing. They were working together to uncover the public record and starting showing up at our weekly county commission meetings. They started asking their questions and expressing their opinions in the public meeting. Some were making accusations about what they uncovered, which included the cutting of trees in rural undeveloped parks owned by we the people.

As this little local movement started to grow and uncover other concerns about what our county elected officials were doing in our name, others joined in. However, like many such efforts before them, this citizen’s effort was mostly sidelined. Some due to their own dysfunction (which groups have) and strategic missteps, however the biggest problem came from the actions of the Douglas County Commissioners to stop allowing the people to speak on topics that the commissioners did not already have on their Agenda.

Prior to this, any person could attend one of these weekly public meetings and speak about an issue of concern that had to do with our county. It did not have to be on the Agenda; it just had to relate to an issue that had an impact on our county, either directly or indirectly. This all stopped.  

Note: Nothing guarantees us the right to address the public body in a public meeting about anything on their Agenda, with few exceptions. The main exception is that certain functions of government do require a public hearing and allow public testimony, but these do not represent the majority of the business conducted on our behalf by our elected officials at the county. Having the opportunity to do so is at the pleasure of the body, however most public entities, at all local levels (cities, counties, special districts) do provide the people an opportunity to speak.