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OpEd
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Big boxing promoter ready
to rumble for Republicans
WASHINGTON The
Republican National Committ
ee will hold a big-ticket, exclu
sive fund-raiser March 26 at the
palatial mansion of boxing pro
moter Don King in Manalapan,
Fla.
The price: $25,000 per couple, with admis
sion limited to the first 25 couples.
King, who occasionally has been prosecuted
but not convicted in connection with the opera
tion of his boxing empire, has been a political
switch-hitter contributing to both parties. In the
current election cycle, he has given not only to
George W. Bush but also to Democratic presi
dential hopefuls Richard Gephardt and Carol
Moseley Braun.
"Let’s Get Ready to Rumble!" begins the
dinner invitation. Continuing the sports theme,
it says "warm-ups" (reception) start at 6 p m.
with the "main event" (dinner) at 7. Those who
pay the $25,000 are guaranteed reservations at
the nearby Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Palm Beach
Kerry’s mistake
Veteran Democratic politicians feel Sen.
John Kerry made his first serious mistake as
presumptive presidential nominee when he
claimed foreign leaders privately said they
wanted him to defeat President Bush.
Kerry's basic error was making a claim that,
true or false, he never could substantiate. He
also is criticized inside his party for compound
ing the mistake in two ways: he modified what
he first said and then blundered by getting into
a shouting match with a Republican heckler.
That performance may make Kerry look un
presidential. But the Democratic old pros say
this is mitigated by new campaign laws that
make George W. Bush take responsibility for
the banage of anti-Kerry ads.
That China factory
Commerce Department officials who vetted
Nebraska industrialist Tony Raimondo as
President Bush's new manufacturing czar were
aware that he operated a factory in China. They
believed that experience would benefit
Raimondo in a new assistant secretary of com
merce post intended to promote manufacturing
jobs in America. Democratic senators went on
an anti-China rampage when Sen. John Kerry
leaked word of Raimondo's selection.
Raimondo withdrew his name after Senate
Republican leaders informed the White House
thatthe confirmatiM process would be long,
Public must participate to make government work
"...government of the peo
ple. by the people, for the peo
ple..." These few words,
uttered by Abraham Lincoln in
his immortal Gettysburg
address, succinctly capture the
essence of the dream of the
founders of this nation.
Perhaps the three most impor
tant words in our Constitution
are those which begin its pre
amble: We the people..."
The framers of the Consti
tution saw government as an
instrument to serve the people
and the common good, and
not as just a new form of con
trol. But they also recognized
that Democracy, particularly
when combined with an
aggressive free enterprise sys
tem is not just a wondrous
self-sustaining system. Its sus
tenance requires commitment
on the part of an educated
public, and without that, it can
be dangerous. The critical
dependency on the involve
ment of the governed has been
recognized through the cen
turies. Aristotle noted that "If
liberty and equality ... are ...
found in democracy, they will
be best attained when all per
sons alike share in govern
ment to the utmost." And
Plato wryly observed that:
"One of the penalties for
refusing to participate in poli
tics is that you end up being
governed by your inferiors."
The framers of the
Constitution outlined the
structure of government and
its authorities. But they also
added a Bill of Rights lO
amendments to guarantee cer
tain "fundamental" rights by
limiting the powers of gov
ernment to abridge them.
Governments, once formed,
take on lives of their own.
Growth makes involvement
difficult. Consequently, provi
sions were included to assure
that government did not
become abusive.
Some distinctions are diffi
cult to make. Laws, regula
tions. and their enforcement
are necessary to preserve the
common good. But the line
Robert
Novak #
Ihescsbl.
Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska. Actually,
Nelson's occasional votes for Bush administra
tion policies have not made him popular in the
Senate Democratic caucus.
Gay marriage congressman
Democratic Rep. Tim Bishop, who repre
sents the eastern tip of Long Island. N.Y..
became a choice election target for Republican
strategists March 11 when he presided over a
gay marriage in East Hampton. N.Y.
The New York Sunday Times society page
listing of weddings reported that Bishop "led
the commitment ceremony" between Dr.
Charles Guy Hitchcock and David Wilt.
Hitchcock is dean of Southampton College on
Long Island, where Bishop was provost before
being elected to Congress in 2002.
Bishop's district is one of the nation’s most
volatile politically, switching back and forth
between Republican and Democratic House
members. Republican Felix Grucci lost the last
election after running an ad alleging that
Bishop was soft on rape.
Specter’s friend
Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, one of
the Republican Party's rising conservative stars,
is alienating allies nationwide with his support
for his liberal Republican colleague from
Pennsylvania. Sen. Arlen Specter.
Santorum's latest boost for Specter in the
April 27 Pennsylvania primary is a television
ad in which Santorum says: "Arlen is with us
on votes that matter." That infuriated conserva
tives who note that Specter voted against the
Supreme Court confirmation of Robert Bork
and removal from office of Bill Clinton, and for
shrinking the 2(X)I Bush tax cut. Os Sen. John
Kerry's 26 key votes listed by the Republican
National Committee, Specter voted with him
10 times. Polls show the primary challenge to
Specter by Rep. Pat Toomey getting closer.
Toomey has backing from conservatives across
the country, who are upset by Santorum's stand.
Santorum is a strong contender to be the next
Senate majority leader.
Robert Novak is a nationally syndicated
| columnist and a television commentator.
Mel f-’T/
Copen V A
between infringing on rights
and protecting the public is
not always clear. Few people
object to constraints that traf
fic laws impose. But contro
versies surrounding issues like
abortion and gay marriage
make it clear that there are
areas where individual rights,
the common good, and the
role of government are not so
easily defined or reconciled.
Let's return to Lincoln and
what is implied by: "...govern
ment of the people, by the peo
ple..." Thomas Jefferson, one
of the most influential
founders of this nation stated:
"Information is the currency
of democracy." "1 am not a
friend to a very energetic gov
ernment. It is always oppres
sive." "Whenever the people
are well informed, they can be
trusted with their own govern
ment; that whenever things get
so far wrong as to attract their
notice, they may be relied on
to set them to rights."
President James Madison rein
forced this thought:
"Knowledge will forever gov
ern ignorance. And a people
who mean to be their own
governors, must arm them
selves with the power which
knowledge gives." President
Andrew Johnson believed:
"Our government sprang from
and was made for the people
not the people for the gov
ernment. To them it owes an
allegiance; from them it must
derive its courage, strength,
and wisdom." President James
Garfield added a bit of a twist
when he said: "All free gov
ernments are managed by the
combined wisdom and folly of
the people." And President
Franklin Roosevelt .summa
rized with: "The only sure bul
wark of continuing liberty is a
government strong enough to
bitter and doubtful.
Commerce officials also
mistakenly believed Rai
mondo’s way with Senate
Democrats would be eased by
his business relationship with
and approval by Democratic
protect the interests of the
people, and a people strong
enough and well enough
informed to maintain its sov
ereign control over the gov
ernment."
But "the people" is a nebu
lous concept. The primary
voice or instrumentality comes
through the political process
and the election of officials to
run the machinery of govern
ment. And the founding
fathers may not have fully
anticipated a number of subse
quent trends that have
occurred within this nation.
One is the cost of cam
paigning for national office—
now millions of dollars.
Another is the litigious society
we have become. Yet another
is the declining willingness of
many people to take responsi
bility for their own actions.
The impact of these trends
is significant. Politicians enter
office with major ties to the
moneyed interests that support
their candidacies. Corpor
ations are a vital and neces
sary part of our Free
Enterprise society. They are
also instruments that create
large financial bases and,
exercising their rights to "pro
tect their own interests."
directly or indirectly feed
large sums into the political
process. These corporations
are instruments of the people
the shareholders, employ
ees and customers.
Given the litigious nature
of our society, many are under
attack, particularly as individ
uals seek redress for real or
imagined ills from those with
"deep pockets." A fundamen
tal underpinning of the free
enterprise system is competi
tion. However, left unfettered,
particularly in some industries
where the size of the capital
investment required is very
large, oligopoly and monopoly
can result. Given the natural
tendency towards consolida
tion. combined with politi
cians whose interests are often
predisposed to protect the
sources of their nourishment.
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Customers who purchase a new limited
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- 2 tickets to this exciting event.
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- A special signature & remarque on back.
- A free gift at the event.
Saturday, March 27th • 6:30-8:30 • Gwinnett Convention Center
Tickets must be obtained at Parsons Gallery only!
No tickets available at the door!
Call Parsons Gallery for details about this exciting event.
770-888-9924
> —~<
"“XS Mon-rn..,
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GA 400 @ Hwy 20
Exit 14 THOMAS KINKADE Closed Sunda y
111 ■■■■<■»! 111, ■■Him.III i n 11l I II
FORBYTH COUNTY NEWS - Wednesday, March 24,2004 I
there is a tendency to protect
these corporations from
yes, "the people."
Consequently, we see "gov
ernment" attempting to solve
problems in ways that can only
be understood in the light of
these trends. Prescription drug
costs are out of control. Instead
of dealing directly with cost
and pricing issues, the response
is to subsidize high prices,
maintaining industry profits
while relieving the burden on
patients, but only at the expense
of an already overburdened tax
ation system. Instead of deci
sively eliminating computer
spam by penalizing those who
use it, government has respond
ed to political pressures by
attacking largely-untouchable
spam distributors, leaving the
real perpetrators (and the prob
lem) untouched. There are
many other industries oil or
communications for example
which show similar patterns.
Balance and perspective are
often lacking.
That brings us to the last
part of Lincoln's statement:
"...for the people..." Clearly
government must recognize the
difficulty of direct control by
the people, particularly to
redress problems. But for rea
sons already mentioned, gov
ernment often neglects one of
its main roles to protect the
people from potential excesses
that are inherent w ithin the sys
tem. And here is the catch-22.
Only the people can change the
process.
Perhaps the most disturb
ing trend is indifference on
the part of many people
towards moral issues, towards
keeping up with current affairs
or towards voting. The content
of the social studies and civics
education in our public schools
leaves much to be desired.
Newspaper readership is
declining. Superficial, and
often biased. TV news sum
maries are the easy way to
"keep posted." Primary elec
tions often attract 10 percent or
less of the voting public, and
even presidential elections
attract only 50 percent of eligi
ble voters.
The caveats have been well
documented over the centuries.
Supreme Court Justice Louis
Brandeis said: "We can have
democracy in this country, or
we can have great wealth con
centrated in the hands of a few,
but we can't have both." John
Quincy Adams believed that
"Our Constitution was made
only for a moral and religious
people. It is wholly inadequate
to the government of any
other." And Robert Hutchins,
chancellor of the University of
Chicago, summarized with:
"The death of democracy is not
likely to be an assassination
from ambush. It will be a slow
extinction from apathy, indif
ference. and undernourish
ment."
Government will only be as
responsive to the needs of the
public as the public demands.
Politicians will only be as good
as the standards set by the vot
ing public. And we will only
get increased and knowledge
able involvement by future
generations to the extent we
set the standard as role mod
els. [ls it any wonder that the
task in Iraq is so daunting?]
In the 18th Century. Voltaire
said: "There has never been a
perfect government, because
men have passions; and if they
did not have passions, there
would be no need for govern
ment." These passions make
the world an interesting place.
But they also make it challeng
ing. We must find better ways
to support Democracy. There is
much wisdom in the old adage
that we get the government we
deserve.
Dr. Melvyn Co pen of
Cumming is an educator and
businessman who has worked
and lived in many foreign
countries and provides con
sulting services for businesses
and organizations throughout
the world. His column
appears every other Wednes
day. Please share your com
ments with him via email at
melcopen@hotmail.com.
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