(C) Missouri Independent
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Are we, the people, relinquishing our power to the wealthy and powerful few? • Missouri Independent [1]
['Janice Ellis', 'Laurel Burchfield', 'Keith Runyon', 'Bridgette Dunlap', 'More From Author', 'July', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline']
Date: 2025-07-14
In this toxic political environment it may seem like we, the people of the state of Missouri and the United States, do not have the power to control the policies that determine what the “Show Me” state and the “Land of the Free” become.
We do.
But only if we are willing to take a stand and exercise it.
There is power in numbers.
We do not need to capitulate and succumb to the money and influence of the rich and powerful, their lobbyists, or the feckless and spineless elected officials who make decisions in their own self-interests rather than do the jobs they were sent to Jefferson City and Washington to do.
We do not have to accept it.
The Preamble to the Constitution is worth revisiting as frequently as necessary during these political times as we witness and become recipients of what our government is doing that will negatively impact our lives.
“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.”
As much as we may feel intimidated by, or reluctant to spend time to better understand the empowerment of the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Missouri, we need to.
We need to pay close attention to the actions of elected officials in Jefferson City and Washington, and invest the time to determine how “we the people” can exercise the power we have to preserve our individual rights and our way of life as American citizens.
Before it is too late.
Before so much damage has been done that it will take years, if not decades, to recover.
Currently, and on many levels, we are experiencing what it is like to live in a country where its leaders seem hellbent on creating a hapless and hopeless society.
American optimism — all the positive energy, that can-do anything aura and attitude, the vision for a better life, a better society, a better world — where has it gone?
Is America becoming a country without compassion, courage, or one with a positive outlook for the future?
We seem to be under a cloud of discordant lies and deception, incivility, meanness, retribution, the grab and abuse of power among leaders and policymakers — all while those very perpetrators are trying to tell and convince us that such behavior is actually necessary to pass and implement policies for our own good.
Does our silence indicate we believe it, that we buy that the outcomes are in our best interest?
Why else is such behavior becoming the norm?
In Missouri, do you actually believe that denying workers family leave, for example, is good for low- or moderate-income employees? Do they not deserve some time off to take care of themselves or a family member when sick?
The Missouri governor with a stroke of pen cancelled paid sick leave, a measure that was passed overwhelming by 58% of voters. If that was not bad enough, the same bill signed into law also repeals the annual inflation adjustment to the minimum wage —something that has been done since 2006.
How will these actions help hardworking Missourians as the cost of living continues to rise?
Many Missourians, like many in other states, are at risk of losing their needed Medicaid benefits because the senators and representatives in Congress ultimately went along with the passage of future cuts.
On the national level, the promise to curb rising inflation, to control immigrants overtaking our borders, to end the war between Russia and Ukraine were the main reasons voters cast their votes for Republican candidates.
In reality, what has been done to successfully address those issues?
Not much.
What have we gotten instead? Indiscriminate deep destructive cuts in departments and services, putting the needs of many American at risk; inhumane and indiscriminate handling of illegal immigrants; and the war between Russia and Ukraine goes on.
And then there is passage of the “Big Beautiful Bill.
Do you know what is in it?
Do you know whether it will help or hurt one or more aspects of your quality of life?
You are probably thinking: If the elected officials we sent to Jefferson City and Washington are not functioning in our best interests — not stopping decisions and policies being passed that will hurt us — what can we do?
A lot.
First, prepare to vote those elected officials out of offices at the first opportunity. There is more power in the number of voters that go to the polls and vote than the money that may be infused in a campaign.
Money cannot vote.
Start now, if you haven’t, to keep a log of what your elected officials say and do. Just as important is to log what they fail to say or do when they have an opportunity. Did they go along to get along? Whose interests did they represent or fight for, if not yours?
Contact your elected officials repeatedly and in multiple ways. Taking time to write letters and make phone calls at a minimum. Meet with them at every opportunity. Encourage others in your orbit of influence and who share your concerns to join you.
Research. Who is influencing, and contributing to elected officials?
Organize. Discover whether there are eligible voters who are not voting for one reason or the other. Assist and encourage them to vote. Organize group discussions around issues you care about. Seek opportunities to participate in political organizations that share your concerns.
The greatest power that resides in the people is the “We.”
Will enough of us do what it takes to exercise that power and put it into action to make Missouri and America what they can be?
For the people.
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https://missouriindependent.com/2025/07/14/are-we-the-people-relinquishing-our-power-to-the-wealthy-and-powerful-few/
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