Commitment to serve

Commitment to service, what a phrase.  I hear people say it all the time, especially when election time comes around.  Politicians stump their platforms and stand proud with their arm around their spouse, smiling for the cameras and proclaiming how they will humbly take up the mantle for their constituents in Washington.  They bloviate about making a sacrifice to serve the common good, fight the corruption, powers that be, and the Washington elite......Barf!

The problem is, that once in office, we see a different side of most politicians.  The very person that stood in our community center and proclaimed to be "one of us" now lives in a brownstone on C Street.  Oh, they come home for a few days during congressional recess to raise money for their next campaign and even make a few town hall meetings to reassure their constituents that they are still "just plain home folks".

Charley Rangel, the senior member of the U.S. House of Representatives is a good example.  He came into office in 1971 after his predecessor, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. was removed from office due to allegations of corruption. Now, I'm sure that Mr. Rangel was a true patriot when he initially ran for office, he was a combat veteran of the Korean War and was awarded both a bronze star and a purple heart for his heroism during an engagement at Kunu-ri.  The question is what happened to the Charley Rangel that served so bravely during those years.  How did a man that was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus fall to the level that he is now under investigation for 13 ethics violations.  I guess the old adage is true, power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Yesterday, a very close friend found out that I had started a blog site and that I had joined the Tea Party movement.  She, gave me that familiar sigh and said, "Billy, why do you always have to try to save the world, why does it always have to be a crusade with you".  I told her simply, isn't that the reason that you've always wanted me close to you on the job.  I can't help it, my father always taught me to run to towards trouble not from it.  These days, children are taught to shy away from conflict, I believe the struggle to overcome adversity builds moral strength and character.  Stand up for what you believe in, never admit defeat, second place in a two man event means that you are the loser, and most importantly Freedom doesn't come cheap.

I will never be an academic, I will never cure cancer or invent a fuel that will render fossil fuels obsolete. What I can do is continue to fight the good fight.  I can fight through my words and actions, by reminding everyone that once upon a time, men felt convicted to serve with honesty, integrity, honor, and loyalty to their country and the people in it.  That being selected as a representative for your community was not a avenue to wealth, but a sacrifice made freely for your fellow man.

I hope that many of my fellow Americans share this view, and will pass along the message to those who do not understand or appreciate the sacrifice so many made for freedom over the years.