Don Lee for Minnesota House

When our founding fathers presented the US Constitution to the 13 colonies, they made a strong case that it must be the duty of every citizen to not only participate and supervise the government “of the people”, but also to defend it from all manner of threats and decay over time.

As Benjamin Franklin put it, when asked “what we got” in 1787:

“A Republic if you can keep it.”

We are at a crossroads today, where we must choose whether we are willing and able to “keep” our Republic.

Are we strong enough to shoulder our own responsibilities, rather than shirking them by passing them to government?  Are we diligent enough to supervise the huge bureaucracy that is our state, local and federal government?

Make no mistake.  “We, the people” rule.  For good or ill, government is extremely responsive to public opinion.  Candidates often make themselves attractive by making extravagant promises.  Unfortunately, the bill is often paid for by “someone else” – “the rich”, “the corporations”, or worse “someone in the future” (debt).

Are we wise enough to choose the dull, unpleasant, but prudent candidates over those who tell us what we want to hear?  Will we support officials who actually shrink government back to its proper size, but in the bargain expect “We, the people” to reassume personal responsibilities that we have recently been told would be paid by “someone else”?

Are “We, the people” prisoners of our choices, and slaves to the “free lunch”? Do we love freedom, and the personal responsibility required to maintain it, or do we prefer the “security” of being a number in a computer – a cog in the bureaucratic machine.  Are we the citizens who rule, or subjects of the all powerful state?

I believe that “We, the people” are waking up.  I am encouraged by the conversations I hear, and the issues being debated.  They are not always resolved the way I would want, but we are discussing the right things.

I look forward to the election of 2012.