We the people must hold government accountable

By DALE DROZEN

(Updated: Wednesday, March 18, 2009, 2:14 PM)

In my time observing our local government, I have formed some strong opinions. In future columns I plan to focus on specifics of what I am digging up as I observe and participate in our local government. This first outing is more of an overview of how we are losing our way.

Our system of government has not been based on trust, the writers included checks and balances, but most important it is based on ‘WE THE PEOPLE’ never letting go of our right to know or our right to have control of our government. We have written these protections into our constitutions and our laws.

California’s Brown Act, which promises open meetings, begins with: In enacting this chapter, the Legislature finds and declares that the public commissions, boards and councils and the other public agencies in this State exist to aid in the conduct of the people’s business. It is the intent of the law that their actions be taken openly and that their deliberations be conducted openly.

The people of this State do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies which serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so that they may retain control over the instruments they have created.

To be a politician, or to run for office, you are required to compromise. Most end up compromising their values, their goals and their expectations. Some also throw out their honesty and integrity. I’m not saying politicians are bad people. Quite the opposite, most are very good people trying to do positive things.

Unfortunately, through the process of getting things done, and in the spirit of compromise, ideas get watered down. From the day you begin running for office your inner circle begins to tighten, almost like the cocoon encasing the caterpillar. As you get elected the shell hardens, so very little from outside can get in.

As you serve your term, or terms, being careful not to damage the protective cocoon by doing anything controversial, the transformation happens quietly out of site, until you see a career politician emerge like a butterfly from the cocoon. They are pretty and fun to watch but all they seem to do is flit around.

Laws are created after moving through the legislative process that make no sense, projects become clusters of false starts and dropped balls blocked and controlled at every turn by some of the most ridiculous and cumbersome regulations anyone could imagine. All in the end wasting millions of our tax dollars. Every level of our government is moving toward less local control. Community involvement and volunteerism is being discouraged if not outright outlawed.

The Madera County budget has more than doubled in the past 10 years. There is no way we can hope to afford a government that tends to our every need and guarantees that we will be protected from all of our bad decisions, but that seems to be the trend.

Our system of government cannot survive without citizen involvement. The first step is to find out what is happening. The second step has to be letting our government know what it is we want them to do and what we want to do for ourselves.