Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, July 4, 1993 TAG: 9309020322
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: F2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Above all, we celebrate that our country has sustained its essence since its founding: an understanding that Thomas Jefferson encapsulated in the Declaration of Independence - now the faith of millions around the world - that all men are created equal.
Penned by a slaveowner, this statement from the beginning was ambivalent. But it captures the truth of liberal democracy: that, fundamentally, no one is or should be above another. No human authority, in short, is preordained.
It is no coincidence that this idea has proved so enduring and successful. Notwithstanding the carping and complaints of the pessimists and the blame-obsessed, our system remains the stablest form of governance. Popular consent, combining majority rule with minority rights, is the only source of sustainable political legitimacy.
Not that all democratic governments or legislative proposals are created equal, of course. Jefferson's idea simply holds that, because people are equal, no one is absolutely entitled to rule. One has to earn leadership, and it can be removed by popular demand. A corollary is that people should be governed by rules, not by other people.
These principles are so powerful, they also have shown themselves to be the soundest grounds for economic and scientific progress.
The one absolute is a lack of absolutes. No outcome is fixed or final, none can be legitimately imposed by mere force or tradition. No matter who one is, he or she must compete for authority or success with everyone else and in a common currency, whether in votes or dollars or evidence. No monopoly is given for power or wealth or knowledge.
These are the ideals, anyway, and they're all implied in Jefferson's radical notions, incorporated in the Declaration of Independence. Not only do they amount to a clarion call for freedom from illegitimate authority, they also imply a more positive freedom - the freedom of responsibility for our fate. If we are equal, we must govern ourselves.
Americans can do a better job in this department. Jefferson probably would be appalled by the extent to which we have grown dependent on government. Consider a few of the items on the current agenda.
The people demand reduction of the federal deficit, but shrink from sharing responsibility for the task, yelling and moaning when their particular entitlement is cut or their tax raised.
Americans demand health-care reform, when so much sickness and hurt and cost could be prevented if more people acted in a healthy manner - that is, responsibly.
Americans demand campaign-finance reform, yet so much political money goes to superficial and misleading TV advertising that would not sway responsible voters.
We can do better. And there is a great chance we will, because we remain an open democracy, restlessly seeking improvement, fiercely protective of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
By trial and error, if we keep at it, we gradually will make the facts of this society more closely approximate Jefferson's ideals. That is a prospect worth celebrating in America, on its birthday, the world's greatest nation.
by CNB