How can I get you interested in government?

I ask because it’s serious.

How can I get you interested in government?

I ask because it’s serious.

Our constitution was ratified when the interest of the people was aligned and balanced with that of the federal government. Since that point, we have become off balance and unaligned.

Strong relationships are built on good communication and honesty. Think of our government as a relationship, to be successful the government and the people need to communicate. Our republic improved the Roman senate by adding the House of Representatives. The Senate represents the state and the House the people. The House is our Voice. It is our way to communicate with the government. And to be heard someone needs to be listening. Since capping the house at 435 in 1911 the population has tripled. There are too many of us and not enough of them, they can’t hear us. And our government is failing in the same way as other governments have in the past.

Governments fail when they grow too large and lose touch with the people and so do businesses. Employees may become frustrated when they can’t get their ideas heard so they leave and start a competing company. Or maybe the company grew so large they can’t hear their customers anymore. Most business empires last only a few generations. Blockbuster and Tower Records have been toppled by Netflix and Spotify.

It is people’s ambitions that lead them to greatness, but it often blinds them to others. Kings may rein but kings will fall, it is the law of nature to survive. Those who are hunting are hungry and those who have hunted, grow fat and become complacent. It is the essence of Capitalism. Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations isn’t just a book about the law of economics, if you read it with Theory of Moral Sentiments, they are lesson in nature vs. nurture. They are a lesson of human behavior. And governments behave like people because they are run by people.

Our government may be failing but it’s not too late for this relationship to work itself out. It just needs two committed parties who are ready to listen. It’s time to recognize our mistakes and work to correct them. It’s time to uncap the house. It’s time to get our voice back and be heard.