by Megan O'Brian

Created on: August 11, 2009   Last Updated: August 12, 2009

Our forefathers escaped from tyranny, taxation without representation and oppression, by a ruler who ignored the needs of his people and who imprisoned or killed any person who raised his voice in dissent.

They came to America and founded our nation based on freedom and created a government "for the people and by the people". In those words the case was made for all citizens to have a voice in all government decisions.

Whether or not all citizens were directly involved in earlier government decisions is unknown but we live in a world today where government decisions are made quickly, in secrecy and with no regard to the effect it would have on American citizens. Many of these decisions have impacted our lives adversely, a situation that could have been avoided if every decision made by our government had to incorporate citizen input.

While some may argue that many decisions made by government do not concern American citizens because they are related to foreign policy and therefore do not affect us, that kind of thinking is incorrect. Every decision made by government regarding: commerce with foreign countries, immigration issues, issues of war, terrorism, or anything else - all these issues and the decisions made by government affect us in many ways.

When government chooses to allow companies in America to outsource work to foreign countries, we may pay a cheaper price for those goods but we often get shoddy goods that have to be replaced more often and money is lost, not gained by the outsourcing. The more jobs that are outsourced means less jobs for American citizens and unemployment affects all of us.

When government decides to pass legislation that gives financial aid, food stamps, housing and free health care to illegal immigrants, it affects us all financially and jobs taken by illegal immigrants mean more unemployment and an increase in home foreclosures, homelessness and poverty for American citizens.

Decisions concerning war in foreign countries affect us when thousands of our young people are deployed to fight and die in wars that America had no part in starting and in countries that hate Americans to begin with.

Currently we have an administration that is trying hard to push through a bill that would nationalize the health care system in America. The government has not fully explained the "reform" they want to get passed so quickly and at 1000 pages in length, it is difficult for citizens to read and understand it.

When government controls health care and the lives of its citizens, it is called "socialism" but those words have never been said by anyone in our government. If this in itself does not make the case for citizen input in all of government decisions in America as well as the other reasons noted above, then I don't know what will.

We MUST have input in all government decisions if we are to save our country from total destruction. America is no longer the strong country it once was because of bad decisions by our government. We can turn things around if we all have a say in how best to serve our country .

We must make this happen and soon, before it is too late..

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