Blessings of Liberty - Part 1

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution..."

Those were the words adopted by our Founding Fathers as the preamble of the US Constitution, setting forth the goals of what they hoped would be accomplished by the new democracy.

With the new Congress taking their oaths this month and the president's State of the Union message, in the spirit of my theme of Life's a Mystery, I'd like to reflect on the mystery of governance in America.

I grew up loving politics and fascinated by how our government works. That was nurtured around the kitchen table when I was a kid, as our family would discuss current events. As a result, my undergraduate major was political science. Forty-five years later, it's pretty clear to me that government isn't working any more.

I grew up in the fifties, a time of optimism. America, with its allies, had just defeated totalitarian regimes. Our country was growing, more people moved west, the Interstate highway system was built, communities invested in schools to educate the children of the post-war baby boom, and our nation reached for the moon--literally and figuratively. As the Cold War took hold, the entire world chose sides in USA versus USSR. Ah, the good ole days! I know the threats we face now are serious, but in first grade I had to learn to duck under my desk at school at the prospect of nuclear attack. All rather quaint as I look back.

I'm not sure what event (or series of events) crippled our government. Was it the Vietnam War? Watergate and a president forced to resign? Divisions over Civil Rights and issues of equality? Roe v. Wade? A presidential impeachment? The "welfare state?" Removal of prayer in schools?

What should have been a moment of national unity following the attacks on our country on 9/11/2001, seemed to last no more than a fortnight.

Whatever the catalyst, and perhaps there were multiple ones, depending on one's viewpoint, I haven't talked to anyone on the broad spectrum of political thinking (conservative to liberal) who is happy with the state of affairs in our politics. Frankly, political leaders on both sides of the aisle seem to be taking their cue from the strategy we adopted against the Soviets during the Cold War--"mutually assured destruction." Using that analogy, it feels as if the citizenry have become collateral damage.

The more important question is what steps can citizens take to help move our government beyond gridlock. I'll have a few ideas in "Part 2," and I'd like you to be thinking of ones as well. But let me leave you with two facts to ponder.

1) When our nation began, members of Congress represented districts comprising approximately 30,000 people. Today those districts are at about 700,000.

2) Members of Congress earn $179,000 a year, and spend an average of $1,689,000 at each election to a two-year term.

You're a citizen. Please join the conversation, with a comment below, or perhaps with your family around the dining table.

Remembering Rebecca

It was a year ago that Rebecca passed away. The picture on the left is the last one taken of her. A neighbor snapped it during a holiday party in December 2013, and later shared it with me.

Though many people called her Becky, during our first date I asked what she preferred. She said Rebecca, and that is what I used.

Those who knew her will recall that Rebecca faithfully remembered birthdays and anniversaries. She delighted in sending out cards to family and friends; I'm convinced she was Hallmark's best customer! Of course, she'd also buy cards for me that I would usually open to read, keep for a few days, and then toss. For unexplained reasons, I held onto the Valentine's Day, Wedding Anniversary, and Birthday cards she gave me in 2013. Having them provided comfort as those occasions rolled around this past year. Why did I hang on to them? Life's a mystery.

The painful memories of her final days have given way to more endearing remembrances of fun times together. I think about the first time we met at the Erie Playhouse, the many shows we did together, and how, in those last few months, she helped me learn lines for my Ben Franklin play. We enjoyed numerous vacations - including memorable ones to Arizona, Wyoming, California, London and Paris. Rebecca delighted in moving into new places and decorating them (8 during the course of our married life). And I can picture the two of us exploring several of our new homes while they were still under construction. She never lost her sense of wonder or fondness for whimsy, a trait we shared.

I think back to favorite movies she enjoyed (Star Wars, Star Trek, ET, and Indiana Jones to name a few). She made no secret of the fact that had Harrison Ford ever become available, I would have been history. :-)

She had a lifelong goal of becoming an architect, and returned to school at age 44 to earn a B.S. in Architecture. In my Florida condo, I have a display of architectural models Rebecca made during her

studies at the University of Maryland. She loved design and
working as an architect.

We honeymooned at Disney World, and made return visits nearly every year. Each time I visit Disney now, I smile as I recall her favorite attractions and restaurants. Rebecca especially enjoyed family gatherings with her parents, and sister and brother (Barbara and Charlie); the Clark and Shirk family reunions; and Thanksgivings spent with aunts, uncles and cousins.

Rebecca entered the hospital for the last time on the day after her mother's funeral. In one of our last conversations she told me that she took consolation at her mother's passing, and cited Ben Franklin's eulogy for a friend (from my play): "Our friend is newly born among the immortals... His chair was ready first, and he has gone on before us. After all, we could not all conveniently start together; and why should you and I be grieved at this, since we are soon to follow and know where to find him." I share her solace.

Remembering Rebecca, with love!