On Daily Kos, we talk a great deal about what the politicians should do and how much they are falling short, or sometimes doing right. What I haven't seen a lot of discussion on is this: What are the basic responsibilities we all have as citizens? I would like to open this up for discussion and will offer my opinions below the fold.
There are some responsibilities that are obvious, because they are often enforced. These include the responsibility to obey laws and regulations (except in cases of civil disobedience, but then one volunteers to get punished, in order to make a point), including paying taxes and avoiding such infractions as drunk driving, and having a required number of years of schooling. There are, of course, gray areas like speeding. What constitutes driving at an excessive speed? But I won't spend more time on these in this diary. I would say this, though: The most important laws are those that enforce consideration for others. So the main reason not to recklessly crash into a pedestrian isn't because it's illegal, but because it hurts the pedestrian.
But what about the responsibilities that have to do not with obeying laws and avoiding traffic accidents, but with good citizenship? The way I was brought up was to believe that we all have the basic responsibility to inform ourselves sufficiently to make an educated choice at the ballot box, and that voting is a fundamental right that needs to be exercised, whether we like the choice we're ultimately presented with or not.
Some people here are strongly arguing against that. The most common argument I've heard for years is that, if you vote, you are part of a corrupt system. I consider this a cop-out. We are all affected by the choices politicians make, whether or not we voted for them; we are all under the system whether we choose to exercise our right to vote or opt out. And only those who vote actually choose who wins, though of course money distorts the choices and outcomes a great deal.
The U.S. also deviates from some other countries commonly thought of as democracies by having a legal system that routinely uses juries of lay citizens. Many, many people try to get out of jury service because they find it boring or inconvenient, but short of real hardship (which everyone can determine according to their conscience), I believe we have an obligation to do our jury service, so that the parties in the case have a fighting chance of being fairly heard by a cross-section of society. Here, however, there are some different considerations of what it means to choose to be or not be part of the system. As an ordinary citizen, I do not feel I have the obligation to volunteer to hear a case of mere drug possession and convict someone based on such laws, so when asked, I will speak up and state my problem with serving on such a case. There are other types of cases in which I can be chosen to participate.
I would say that another basic responsibility of citizenship is to speak up when something you believe is really wrong is happening. We do and organize a lot of that here.
A related responsibility is not to ignore people who may be in need of help for health emergencies, or due to fire or crime in progress. A good citizen takes the time to make sure help is on the way, even if that makes him/her late for work. At bottom, the reason for this is as old as Genesis from the Bible: We are our brothers' and sisters' keepers, and would want others to care for us in an emergency, as we should care for them.
What do you think are your fundamental responsibilities as a citizen?