To the Editors:

Atlantic Magazine published a special issue recently on the future prospects of the US. The conclusion of James Fallows, a regular contributor who has spent years in China and other countries, is that our prospects are better than any other country on earth if we can solve one problem, the way our government is working. Most letter writers who have been printed in these pages would agree, I believe, with that assessment.

When I was walking the streets campaigning for election candidates in the past couple of years, the people I spoke with agreed that the lack of honesty and integrity in governing officials is what upsets them most. I think the two perceptions are connected.

Democratic governing can only happen through good faith bargaining and if duplicity and selfish maneuvering takes priority over commitment to the common good, governing itself grinds down to short-sighted positioning based on the latest polls and powerful influences. The far-sighted and often hard choices that constitute good governing just doesn’t happen. I think many would agree that is our current situation.

I am sending to both political parties in the county a modest document to address that situation. It is a Pledge to Voters for candidates to ascribe to. It promises truth-telling and giving priority to the common good, both current and future.

The pledge is general and abstract. It’s hard to imagine anyone who could disagree with it. That is the starting point, where we all agree. But by putting this point of agreement into words and repeating those words over and over, slipping into evasive and self-serving patterns of behavior becomes a little less common. And little by little our level of political discourse should rise to a more cooperative confrontation of the serious dangers to our common welfare.

I ask the readers to urge your party and the candidates to speak the pledge at the beginning of every public presentation. Don’t accept the protest “I already do that all the time.” Insist on the pledge being spoken because unspoken assumptions are more easily ignored. Here is the pledge.

My Pledge to Voters

By electing me to office you the people bestow on me your trust in my integrity and dedication, Therefore I hereby commit myself:

1. to support and advance democracy and the Constitution;
2. to speak and promote truth even while leading citizens to support the common welfare;
3. to put the common welfare, both current and future, ahead of the welfare of any individual or group;
4. to conscientiously discharge the duties of my office;
5. to model good citizenship;
6. to acknowledge when I fall short of these commitments;
7. to practice these principles both during campaigning for election and during my term of service if I am elected.

John Rose

Today, a friend encouraged me to write a blog entry about community gardens. We had talked about the issue many months ago, prior to becoming involved in the local Obama campaign, and to be honest, I had actually forgotten about it.

What does this have to do with being a Democrat in Lebanon County? The connection, for me, relates back to a conversation with another friend about the differences between Democrats and Republicans. His opinion was that a Democrat’s motto should be “what can I do for my community?” and I feel fortunate to live in a place where the spirit of community caring and giving is high, regardless of one’s affiliation (or non-affiliation).

We’re living in some hard times, to be sure. One solution (I think) to hard times is self reliance and a helping hand, which is something Lebanon Countians are already pretty good at and it brings me to the fond memories of my childhood when all of old folks had their gardens “out back”. This was probably just a holdover from there upbringing, but they too lived through some hard times.

Not wanting to complain or commiserate without offering solutions, I propose we think about community gardening.

It helps cut down on grocery costs, fosters neighborhood connections, and provides healthy and environmentally safe food (assuming you don’t use too many pesticides). To me, it sounds like a win/win/win situation.

I was talking with a former Republican row officer holder today and learned that there is no apparent opponent for the DA post in LebCo. I think we ought to change that, even if the candidate is a sacrifice and is not expected to win. The status quo should be challenged here.

If you want to stay involved in liberal politics now that the presidential election is over you might want to consider attending the meeting of LEAD Thursday, December 18th, at 6:30 PM. The meetings are held in the meeting room across from at the Sinkhole Saloon at the Palmyra Bowling Ally on Route 422 at the east end of Palmyra. You can order food at the Sinkhole and bring it over to the meeting room. (more…)