From the Editor's Desk: Hip-deep in democracy

Jeff koterba editorial cartoon for 04 november 2008 end of campaign

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While there are a number of issues central to this debate, the primary point readers should take away from the process is the fact democracy works just fine in Malheur County.

An occasional glance at the national stage can often lead the mildly interested observer to detect a loss of the democratic ethos our founders felt to be essential to the health of a republic.

What often becomes a silent theme in our 21st century democracy is the fact the founders expected voters to stand up and be heard when a critical issue touched their lives.

Democracy is not like the home entertainment center. You just can’t ignore it and then turn on the switch and expect it to operate efficiently.

That scenario appears to be the case, though, and the examples are legion.

Yet here in our little piece of the American heartland, that democratic ethos, that sense of involvement with government, seems alive and well.

Those residents concerned about the Idaho Power concept are not sitting around bemoaning the plan. They’re not shaking their heads and then shrugging their shoulders and saying, in effect, “We are powerless. Our vote, our effort doesn’t mean anything anyway.” Oh, no. They’re involved. They’re hip-deep in the process, and, while they certainly have an agenda, their effort is in the best tradition of American democracy.

When I go back and read about the founders, I’m constantly amazed, once I really concentrate and decipher their words, how important they felt public involvement was in the machinery of government.

There are contrasts, of course. For example, many of the founders had an innate distrust of the masses (or as many of them called it, “the rabble” or “the mob”), yet, at the same time, they designed a framework of government that front-loaded public involvement into its success.

Generally, as a nation, we’ve lost a great deal of the themes of our founders. They are either placed on a pedestal (certainly something someone like John Adams would have liked), or either the right or the left wing debates their philosophies.

What is important to remember, I think, is the fact these founders were not caught up entirely in “right” versus “left.” Surely, they held agendas. Without a doubt, they faced and tackled flash-point, partisan issues. However, one gathers the sense they had a higher agenda — called democracy — to focus on, and, when push came to shove, they worked for the best interest of the nation as a whole.

Whether the residents eager to find an alterative route for the power line are successful or not, they are involved in the democratic process. They are not sitting around waiting for something to happen.

Instead, they’ve clutched the banner — involvement in democracy — held so sacred by our founders.

Pat Caldwell is the editor of the Argus Observer. He can be contacted at PatC@argusobserver.com