I read a comment today earlier in Bonddad's post about the Bears-Stearns situation that resonated strongly with me. The comment was a post dealing with the fallout of trust in Authority, and how our current economic situation was a result of the unquestioned trust of the markets ability to control themselves.
That Comment can be found here.
I found it refreshing that someone else knew the value of authority.
Follow me down the rabbit hole.
My family's Democrat tradition comes from the labor movement, in particular, the UMWA. I grew up in a union household, learning about the unions and politics during Reagan. I learned about Government complicity in dismantling unions in that era, and I learned about class warfare in that time.
I learned that large corporations took advantage of people, and their lives by use of authority. I learned that authority was a tool to leverage influence, and that as no one could see the future, no one was truly an "authority" on anything. To trust anything that claimed to be an authority was foolish as inevitably they were an authority strictly because they had an interest in influencing the outcome.
I was taught to research my decisions for myself, and in doing so to be responsible for my own actions. In my world Authority itself was the promise of a reacharound. Trusting authority would lose you the reacharound.
I commented here once upon a forever ago (last year sometime) about teaching my children to never trust authority, and that being in a situation given in the discussion thread I would've told my children to continue with disruptive behavior when someone who assumed an authoritative role attempted to discipline them. I was chastised for those comments. People telling me that my parenting was flawed because of this approach....of course I question their authority on the matter ;)
I failed to explain my stance fully. In my family, we have 2 wonderful daughters, a son, and another daughter on the way. They are taught that they are masters of their destiny, and that no one else not even I, can limit them in what they can accomplish. We teach them to question authority, we teach them to learn with abandon, and we teach them to experiment.
No greatness has ever come by following the rules.
Today, we see in this nation the culmination of decades of "authority".
Our Environment falters due to "authority".
Our economy falters due to "authority".
Our World Leadership falters due to "authority".
Our people think less for themselves because of "authority".
No one seems to question "authority".
I am a Democrat because I question "authority".
I rail against the established order of corporate slavery.
I will not be told a blatant lie, and buy it because the media sells it.
I will not follow the status quo.
Nor should you.
I ask you Kossacks, do you question the authority that surrounds you? Do you question the Republicans? The doctors? The lawyers? The corporations? The lobbyists?
Authority's value is what people make of it. Question it, and it's value decreases. That is our role if we are the same democrat party that delivered us to the moon. The same Democrat party that won WWII. If we are Jefferson's grand culmination.
We were established to question those who would have us believe we should follow their lead. We are the defenders of this nation's principles, and we seek justice for all humans.
That is what this party is to me, ever questioning the established way, and constantly adapting and evolving the path our nation takes. We are the ramparts. We are the morally strong ones. We take the high road.
Yet we avoid claiming an authoritative status.
We know the value of authority.