by Michael Cannata

Created on: September 29, 2010

Making the world a better place isn’t as hard as it sounds. Simply put, we can make things better by taking personal responsibility for both the blame and the solution.

The best way to effectively put to rest the issues that paralyze us as a people is to take the time to stop looking for the faults in our leaders and instead look for the fault in ourselves. We as a people have lost sight of the fact that the members of our governing bodies are our representatives, not our opposition. They work for us, yet we rarely work with them anymore. We have lost faith in and respect for our representatives. Even worse, we have lost the trust we once had that they are working in our interests.

As a result apathy has taken hold. When a problem confronts us we point fingers rather than extend a hand. With each passing day the sense that our government is our enemy increases among the people. We view the police, the courts, our elected officials… even our neighbors as invading forces bent on doing us harm.  We rage against the status quo and decry the personal indifference we believe so many of our incumbent politicians display towards out plight. We demand change with an almost fervent passion.

Yet, on Election Day, when the opportunity presents itself; when the time to speak to our representatives and to express our satisfaction or disapproval is at hand...... more than half of us stay home. We complain daily but do nothing.

Our future slips away while we waste irreplaceable time, money and resources arguing about issues whose solutions are not the business or responsibility of our government or elected officials... they are the responsibility of "we the people". And that my friend, is you and me. Change has to start with each of us. Making the world a better place can start right here in America.

The obligations of a citizen to a society are few. For the most part they are obligations accepted by all. In order to insure the perpetuation of any society, its citizens must impose upon themselves certain restrictions and obligations. In order to live together in peace we all agree to abstain from actions that would knowingly harm others.

We enact laws to help us regulate our own behavior as well as the behavior of those around us. We agree to pay taxes so our government system can provide the services that are common and necessary to all members of society. Roads, buildings, police, civil servants, national defense... our taxes provide the means for our government

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