POINT OF VIEW

Forget the politics of today — let's make our country America again

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Twelve score and two years ago, a nation called the United States of America came into being. It was sparked by a breakthrough belief in humanity’s “inalienable” right to personal liberty.

Pitted against the suppression of freedom by tyrannical overlords worldwide, this new proposition held that people, within the strictures of the law of the land, should be allowed free reign to pursue personal dreams, and follow their individual paths to happiness.

The undergirding propellant was a fundamental concern for the common good. In short, it was for goodness’ sake that America was born.

A new form of government was formed specifically to “secure these rights.” In this regard, the new America turned conventional wisdom on its head by proposing a government that actually reports to and is held accountable by the populace — rather than the other way around.

This radical system is called democracy, which comes from the Greek language, literally meaning “government by the people.”

At first, the right to personal freedom was not universally extended. But as time marched on, America advanced progressively toward the idea that all people — regardless of gender, race or ethnic identity — have a completely equal claim to all the personal liberties that Americans are heir to.

The seed planted by our founding fathers fostered a new flowering of individual expression, a garden of diversity, and a pure reverence for creative exploration across the full spectrum of human endeavor.

As a land which holds the promise of liberty and justice for all, America blossomed into a beacon of hope for people everywhere who seek goodness rather than evil — a shining city on a hill, as President Ronald Reagan framed it.

Today’s Democratic Party is a party of democracy. All government officials, regardless of affiliations, are simply human, reflecting both the admirable as well as the flawed traits inherent in our species. In this regard, the perpetual push-and-pull of contrasting Republican and Democratic agendas is geared toward inhibiting extreme, and thereby inimical, shifts by either party.

But at the end of the day, there is an irrefutable philosophical distinction between these polarities that places the Democratic vision far more squarely in line with the American persona as put forth above. Although not always apparent, the Democratic Party essentially stands for goodness — the better angels of our nature, triumphing over the demons that may beset.

But now our America is under deadly assault. Like a bull in the proverbial China shop, the current Republican administration — dancing to the drum of an imperious executive — is rampantly undermining America’s foundational concepts of freedom and liberty while concurrently destroying the programs and institutions that are the lifeblood of these ideas — an abiding belief in common decency, the inalienable right of all Americans to top-quality, comprehensive, inexpensive health care, a reverence for diversity and family values, a respect for women, safeguards against election fraud, the protection of our climate from destruction, safeguards against financial marauders, amicable international relations.

And perhaps our most treasured credo: The notion that we are not, nor should we be, divided, but rather stand tall and proud as one nation of Americans — indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

With the scales tilting dangerously away from fundamental democratic ideals, it is time for rebalancing our collective perspectives. Let us turn sharply away from the ill-founded fear that keeps us apart to a compassionate embrace of our core commonality. In our hearts and minds, we are all “dreamers,” and it is particularly the American dream that energizes us, motivates us, and binds us together as one.

The Democratic Party stands for the re-affirmation of what it truly means to be an American. In the upcoming elections, let us collectively embrace the time-honored values we cherish by casting our votes for the party — however less-than-perfect its proponents may be — that stands for these values. Let us together proclaim that we as Americans reject out-of-hand discord and disruption in favor of harmony and compassion.

And let us demand that our elected representatives — whatever their party affiliation — respect and be governed by our dictates, rather than their own personal agendas.

So for goodness sake, vote Democratic on Nov. 6, and let’s make our country America again!

Peter Kines,

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