The Wisconsin budget problem still disturbs me. What disturbs me is how the democratic process was thwarted. In November, citizens voted to elect representatives who would carry out their wishes. Some people did not get their wishes – that is the paradox of democracy. Those who vote for the losing candidate must live with the results. Whether the winner is George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Bobby Jindal, or Scott Walker, we must accept the legitimate winners of an election. This is democracy.
In our democracy we’re a republic, where the government is responsible to the citizens and in return the citizens must follow the laws that their representatives create; the election results must be followed even when some folks don’t like the results.
In Wisconsin, the minority Democratic representatives effectively bypassed the democratic process by leaving the state in order to avoid voting on a key bill. Whether you might like the outcome of a vote or not, in our country we must respect the outcome of the democratic process or else our country will collapse into chaos. Peaceful, non-violent protesting is our protected right and a great tool in democracy – but our representatives bypassing the laws of democracy will eventually result in mob rule. Just look around the world and you’ll see where that will lead us.
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