We the People….3 words that sit as the foundation of our very society.  As this holiday weekend gets underway, I wanted to examine (albeit not very scientifically) what it means to be an American.

This year it’s overshadowed by the Presidential race.  No matter which candidate you favor, there are a whole mess of people who think you’re certifiable.  I’ve never seen two candidates so revered and abhorred at the same time.  And let’s face it – neither one is that great.  And there is a similar attitude towards the President we’ve had for the last eight years.  There is a fairly vocal portion of the population who love him, and an equally vocal portion of the population who can’t stand him. Think about that for just a moment.  In this country an American can love our leader and shout it from the rooftops or the street corner….despise him and shout it from the rooftops or the street corner. We all know that if you did that in some countries, you’d be in a truckload of trouble.

It’s been 240 years since the United States “are” became the United States “is”…and we’re still trying to figure out the Bill of Rights!  What did our “Founding Fathers” mean by freedom of the press?  Gawker thought they knew…and it cost them millions of dollars.  What was the Second amendment really for?  Depends on which pundit’s interpretation you favor. And don’t get me started on what I call the “fake issues” – those things about which the media and the politicians want us to worry and argue because there is probably something way more important from which they want to divert our attention.

I think it’s safe to say that the gentlemen who created the 3 branches of government, with their system of checks and balances, would have blown a revolutionary gasket if they saw how lobbyists have bastardized the legislative branch or the how Executive Order is used like a statutory crowbar.  It’s pretty out of hand.

What happened to government by the people – for the people?  Most people agree that the “closed club” of politicians have been Capitol chair fillers, rather than lawmakers.  Have you felt represented?  Forget the party lines for a moment.  How many of us really believe our elected Congresspeople and Senators are OUR voice, thinking about OUR lives, and representing OUR best interests?

And how absolutely awesome that we even get to be annoyed by that?!

At the end of the day – we actually have the ability, dare I say, the right to be irritated that we are not being well represented.  That the individuals for whom we cast a vote aren’t doing a great job.  And through our votes in various local or national elections – we can hire new people to hopefully do a better job.

Yes, we complain, yes we probably have some good reasons to do so.  But let’s face it – as Americans, we have the power to pick who will lead us.  If things are so bad, maybe it’s because as voters, we haven’t done our jobs very well.

As Americans, we need to own that we drive this red white and blue machine. Who’s responsible for our country?  The President? Congress?

We the people.  Us.  Nobody else.