A GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE

“Nobody Will Ever Deprive the American People of the Right to Vote Except the American People Themselves and the Only Way They Could do This is by Not Voting.”

–Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States

“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 for the United States of America.”

WE THE PEOPLE

Our democracy is built on checks and balances, and the midterm elections are one of those checks. Together, we must all use our united voice to secure the future for students, our families, our residents and constituents in our community.

GENERAL WELFARE

In the Preamble to the American Constitution, one of the imperative statements is to “promote the general Welfare.” This along with rest of the preamble is of vital importance; crucial. Today we think “General Welfare” means “well-being of the people in general,” however To the Founders of our Country, the General Welfare was the Welfare of EVERYONE, of EVERY Individual. And how do we make this happen? We make this happen in our community with your voice because your vote is indeed your voice. This Social Responsibility is a duty every individual has to perform so as to maintain the highest best good for all concerned. If you too believe in the importance that your vote is indeed your voice in the democratic process, then share your thoughts and get your sister, your friend or your spouse to vote. Perhaps the most effective message would be to express your own interest in the election, your own desire to vote and your own desire to see them vote.

For the past sixty-seven years, the Rockford Housing Authority has been providing “General Welfare” a safety net if you will, to individuals in our community. Through the government support of HUD, our community is made stronger. Programs such as the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) and The Rental Assistance Demonstration Program (RAD) are creating a brighter future for our community’s most vulnerable.

Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and the remainder of our Founding Fathers felt that the General Welfare meant those things which are for the people. It comes from the idea of a common good, meaning, it can’t be provided to one without providing for all in our community.

MAKING YOUR VOICE COUNT

According to CNN, in a recent survey of Americans of the most important issues and those who are very concerned about voting in this mid-term election where Health Care are at 71%, The Economy & Jobs at 64% and Gun Policy at 60%. A candidate’s position on health care costs could sway November 6^th, voters. A new Kaiser Family Foundation poll shows that voters care most about a candidate’s position on our President. After that, health care costs, including prescription drug costs, matter a lot in this election.

A government that is elected by its citizens affects every aspect of our lives from schools, to health care, to our roadways, to the use of our taxes. Your Vote helps preserve our system of democracy and the leadership working on our behalf. Through the election process, you have the ability to decide on what is important to you in this country and our community.

ORDAIN AND ESTABLISH

Why two words? While they are similar, ‘ordain’ is more of the declaration that a thing is to be, where ‘establish’ is the thing actually brought about. If we look at these words as verbs we are able to answer the question of how “Ordain and Establish” relates to the Preamble of the Constitution of the United States and directly to you. With the word Ordain, the founders stated that the Constitution allowed us to enact, appoint, or ordain for permanence, as a law or fix unalterably and of course the verb Establish is to bring about permanently: to establish order. If you think about the Preamble to the American Constitution being made up of having six specific overarching goals then essentially, it said to everyone that ‘We the People’

“Hereby decree that this document, the Constitution of the United States of America, details the method by which our new government shall keep the promises made to the people of our nation which we have listed within.”

Your vote is a lot like that, it too does two distinct things. By voting, you ‘ordain’ the representation of your voice and at the same time, you are establishing your representative to speak in your behalf. With the absence of your vote, this all happens without your consent or approval.

GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE

The sovereignty or control of this new government established by our Founders would both rest in and originate from “We, the People,” or, as Lincoln later put it, a “Government of the people, by the people, for the people.” Perhaps The first three words “We, the People” are enough. Perchance that’s why they’re written so, much larger than the rest of the Preamble.

“Voting is an important right in our society and our community… You have a right to let your voice be heard, remember to VOTE November 6^th.”

Rockford Housing Authority

“Ensuring the voices of those we serve are heard in the democratic process”

The US Constitution; http://constitutionus.com/

National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution

Kaiser Family Foundation: https://www.kff.org/health-costs/poll-finding/kaiser-health-tracking-poll-preview-role-of-health-care-2018-midterm-campaigns/