My own editorial in support of the RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE to vote on the question of charter government for Canton. Who Are The People ? Who are “the people”? The people are the individuals, the citizens who are the beneficiaries , descendants and legacy of those embattled farmers “whose flag to April’s breeze unfurled”(1) once stood at that “rude bridge that arched the flood and fired the shot heard round the world.”(2) The people are the tradesmen and unionists, the merchants and teachers, the producers and consumers, the industrialists and inventors, the service men and women who dedicated their lives and offer still their devotion in behalf of the principles of this democracy. The People are the “huddled masses yearning to breathe free”(3) and those whose every breath has been of the air of freedom. They are the heirs of 18th Century visionaries whose work in Philadelphia declared Independence and enshrined self governance in our national charter, The US Constitution. They are the children of 19th Century suffragettes who marched and campaigned for the right to vote. They are the sons and daughters of 20th Century patriots whose speeches and sit-ins and bus rides laid claim to our nation’s promise of civil rights for all. The people are Republicans and Democrats, Tea-Partiers, Independents, Libertarians, Progressives, Conservatives, and the unaffiliated. The people are the religious and the non-religious. They are the rich and the poor and everyone in between. We are the people – all of us together. The people do not speak with one voice, nor are the people of one mind. But in this great land and this good city the people share with each other the one spirit of democracy. On the heels our nation’s birthday - now is the time for Canton City Council to be for the people. Let the people vote. Let the people decide. Reclaim with the people the vision and the reality that WE, THE PEOPLE, do ordain and establish our government in these United States and in our City, too. (1) “Concord Hymn”, Ralph Waldo Emerson (2) Op.cit. (3) “The New Colossus”, Emma Lazarus
Posted on: Mon, 07 Jul 2014 00:57:43 +0000
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