Principle Three: The Most Promising Method of Securing a Virtuous and Morally Stable People is to Elect Virtuous Leaders

By John Dummett Jr.

http://www.johndummett4senate.us/

First of all, what is the definition of virtuous?

The World English Dictionary defines virtuous as:

Characterized by or possessing virtue or moral excellence; righteous; upright.

“When the righteous are in authority the people rejoice; but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.” (Proverbs 29:2) No truer words have been written concerning the people whom we elect, time and time again. We continually elect people who promise us the moon but they never deliver it. Instead of remembering the broken promise, the very next opportunity we get to elect someone else, we develop a case of amnesia and vote the very same liars to office again. Each and every election we are made promises of change but the only change we get is a change in faces and not in deeds.

There are currently two major parties that rule over us in the United States. These are the Democrats and the Republicans. At face value Democrats are associated with Liberalism and the Republicans are associated with Conservatism. Members of each party will tell you that their party is the best thing for American since the invention of sliced bread when in fact, over time, both parties have merged their ideologies into an ideology that encompasses modern values. To many these values have strayed a dangerous distance from Natural Law and the Law of God. Party dogma used to define the differences between the two parties, but now, both parties are only concerned with maintaining power and control over the people through an all powerful central federal government.

Many people who want to buck the system and establish a party more sensitive to the needs of the people instead of the established party are ridiculed and told about the futility of attempting to establish a party more responsive to the needs of the people. Because of this no third party can ever garner enough support to become a viable alternative to the two major parties. Adherents of the two party systems believe a third party will never get off the ground, and to cast a vote for a third party candidate equals a wasted vote. Since we can’t launch a viable third party, we are left with the same tired, worn out two party system where the candidates put up for us to vote on aren’t much different than the members of either party. What we are left with is an established oligarchy dedicated to remaining in power to provide their members a livelihood, power and wealth rather than providing solutions to fix our broken nation.

The Founding Fathers of this country understood human nature which in reality is a mixture of good and evil people. They realized that in order to have the least intrusive government, the wisest, most experienced and virtuous people would have to offer themselves up for election to public office. Since all men are frail and subject to the temptation of ultimate power, the Founding Fathers hoped that society would develop a spirit of public virtue. All citizens who aspired to public office would have to rise to the office on personal merit and not from a position of wealth, power or personal reputation of his or her ancestors.

Thomas Jefferson believed in the philosophy of social responsibility. All good citizens should be willing to accept a major role in public life for the betterment of the nation. He also believed that people of talent with demonstrated qualities of leadership would exhibit a sense of duty towards their country rather than his or her own interests. Instead of obtaining office because of wealth or special interests, people would serve based solely on the virtue of patriotism towards one’s nation. For the good of the nation, it is imperative to encourage citizens who exhibit qualities of leadership to volunteer for public service. The greatest threat to our nation would be the moment when virtuous and moral people refuse to run for office because of open ridicule and harassment directed towards those who wish to hold public office. Because of this, the best, most virtuous of people would not want to put themselves or their families through all the trouble and heartache of running for public office. Even so, it is a natural tendency to encourage others to run for office without getting involved themselves. This leaves individuals interested in self aggrandizement and self interest to run for office.

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson wanted to make sure that public office would never be seen as a money making venture. A lot of politicians are attracted to the love of power and money. Unfortunately Adams and Jefferson would be appalled by the people who currently run for office because they are in fact primarily concerned with using public service as a means to provide a career and a livelihood as well as a path to unbridled power. The needs of the nation have taken a back seat to the needs of the individual politician.

As to the need of a virtuous and moral people to hold public office Benjamin Franklin asked, “And what kind are the men that will strive for this profitable preeminence, through all the bustle of cabal, the heat of contention, the infinite mutual abuse of parties, tearing to pieces the best characters? It will NOT be the wise and moderate, the lovers of peace and good order, the men fittest for the trust. It will be the bold and the violent, the men of strong passions and indefatigable activity in their selfish pursuits. These will thrust themselves into your government, and be your rulers. And these, too, will be mistaken in the expected happiness of their situation; for their vanquished competitors, of the same spirit, and from the same motives, will perpetually be endeavoring to distress their administration, thwart their measures, and render them odious to the people.”

The only way that we will return to having virtuous moral men and women running for public office, will be to refrain from voting for the people put up by the parties as long as they parrot the parties’ line of thoughts. We must also be prepared to elect individuals not belonging to any party or affiliation. What matters most for the well being of the Republic is to elect individual patriots where the health of the nation and love of God means more than power, wealth and rule over the people. If we can manage to do this one thing, our beloved Republic stands a chance to recover.