Who Are the Troublemakers?

Most of us have been keenly interested in the recent drama associated with the legislative recess Town Hall meetings. The attendance has surpassed anything in recent history and emotions have run high, to say the least. Along with all of the passionate exchanges between the conflicting views on the subject of government-run health care, there has been an outcry of complaints against the sign-carrying opponents of the various Health Care Reform proposals being considered by Congress.

These outspoken and sometimes angry critics of the possible Health Care takeover by congress have been labeled as being “un-American,” “Astroturf,” “manufactured” protesters, members of some “fringe” segment or “mob,” and any number of other derogatory terms. Agreed, some of the protesters have let their emotions get away from them and have failed to keep their pent-up frustrations in check. In their defense, many of these concerned citizens are at their wits’ end with the direction our country has been headed for many years. It appears to me that the only thing that might cause them more frustration than the current crises in government is their anger at themselves for not standing up for sensible representation long before now.

But are these citizens who are assembling by the thousands to raise their voices against out-of-control government spending the real troublemakers? It can be safely assumed that no one expected them to turn out they way they have, and it was not anticipated that there would be the level of dissent we have seen, but what are Town Hall meetings for, if not to express your views. The fact is, the government has grown quite accustomed to doing as they please with little real accountability. They receive e-mails, phone calls, and letters, but those can be more easily ignored than real people with serious questions pointing fingers in the faces of elected representatives who do not represent. Citizens should not be viewed as troublemakers because they show up in mass and cry out against legislation that they feel is not good for their families and not good for America.

Maybe on the other hand, these irate patriots are not the real troublemakers at all. At least they don’t see it that way. Perhaps the real troublemakers are the elected officials who pass hundreds of billions of dollars of legislation without having the time or taking the time to read it. For some of us, these are the people who are making trouble for our society, those who ignore their constituents while they pursue their own personal agendas.

There are some serious things wrong with the political process in this country, and it does not have a lot to do with a particular party. It seems that those who make up the backbone of this great nation, the common men and women who are grassroots America, have figured out the problem, while many elected officials are still in the dark about it. This great debate is not about Democrats versus Republicans, and it is not simply about Health Care Reform. It is about responsible governing, fiscal responsibility and leadership with integrity. We are tired of corruption and special interest groups driving the agenda rather than the sound principles that are best for Americans of this and future generations.