Government runs like a grocery store. I made a quick trip to the grocery store a couple of days ago, and while I was waiting my turn to checkout I got to thinking about our type of government, a democracy.
A couple in front of me had a grocery cart about half full of items that appeared to be basic items to feed a family. I could tell they had carefully shopped for items to feed their two small children a reasonably balanced meal. Nothing I noticed placed on the belt was extravagant. The young mother was busy sorting the coupons as the father removed items from the cart. The small children were waiting patiently, eying the candy rack placed near the cash register.
The clerk checked each item and placed it in a bag, took the coupons, ran them across the scanner and pronounced the amount due. Suddenly the expression on the couple’s faces changed, and I suspected they had exceeded their available assets.
A quick huddle and they started to rummage through the grocery bags and hand items to the cashier. Several items were removed from the bags before the cash register showed an amount the couple could pay. They quietly paid for their remaining purchases and slowly walked out of the store hoping no one had noticed them at the register.
Needless to say, theyoung children did not understand the situation but the stern voice of the mother and father persuaded them to move along, no candy today.
How does this fit into my thought about our government? Each governmental entity, no matter how large or small, is very much like that young family. They are part of a larger group. The young family is the result of and part of two families, the mother’s parents and the father’s parents and on and on until we as a family unit are spread across a vast portion of our nation and world. Each government entity from the local activity, no matter if it is a one-person operation or a huge organization, is part of a larger organization that is part of an even larger organization until it eventually arrives at the very top echelon of our democracy, the President of the United States.
Our economy works best when each individual family, such as that young couple, manages to operate and survive with the resources available.
Our governmental agencies and entities should be able to administer their business and provide the services required by their charter. They should never be allowed to exceed their available funds without authorization from a higher authority and everyone, even the President of the United States, has a higher authority.
This can and must be adhered to in a systematic procedure. If a function determines they cannot do their job with the available funds, they should and must either curtail services or acquire funding from a higher chain of command or authority. The higher organization must either curtail functions or shift funding from one entity to another or acquire the additional funding from a higher entity and so forth until it reaches the executive level that in turn requests guidance or funding from the legislative branch of our government.
I believe all functions of our government are administered by the executive branch. I also believe it is the responsibility of the legislative branch, the Congress and the Senate, to provide the ways and means. They should be the deciding force that determines what programs are essential to our democracy and then establish the ways and means of providing those programs. The judicial branch is the third leg that determines if it is being done according to the law or whether the law is legal and just.
I do not believe any branch of our government is fulfilling its constitutional responsibilities. Are we as citizens doing our part at the ballot box? Can a democracy exist without us voting our conscience?
News, Pages 4 on 10/09/2013