We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, —Part of Second Paragraph of The Declaration of Independence
On Saturday, among cooking hot dogs, visiting friends and families, we will be celebrating Independence Day.
In doing so, perhaps it would be time to reflect upon the respective roles of the individuals and the three branches of government in Louisiana.
This spring, we held the regular session of the Legislature.Whether we agreed or disagreed upon the issues of the day that enflamed many of us, it is critical to recognize that all of us had a chance to be part of the process of governing.
We all had an opportunity to petition our government to pursue our own visions and perspectives of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness.And, the beauty behind of our system of government is that a large body of whites and blacks came together—disagreed and sometimes agreed and negotiated with an Indian American Governor born in Baton Rouge.
From a racial perspective we have come a long way in over thirty years when the black caucus first convened in Baton Rouge.When the caucus was established in 1977, the ten founders were Rev. Avery C. Alexander, Diana E. Bajoie, Sidney Barthelemy, Louis Charbonnet, III, Nick Connor, Joseph A. Delpit, Alphonse Jackson, Johnny Jackson, Jr., Thomas Jasper, and Richard Turnley, Jr.Hopefully, soon, there will not be a black caucus and that the issues that separate us all will be based upon similarities rather than racial differences.
Equally important are the powers of the governing versus those of the governed.There are also the respective powers of the three branches of government.As we have seen over the past few days, the Governor of Louisiana has enormous power with the line-item veto.Some say current Governor Bobby Jindal utilized that power to veto a $500,000 budget item that could be very important to the Speaker of the House.Others are angry at the Governor for some of his vetoes actions.The beauty behind our system of Government is that Louisiana citizens have the right and opportunity to petition their legislative representatives to override the powers of the Governor.One attempt might be made due to the vetoing of funding for the New OrleansAdolescentHospital.Given the possible relationship between the House Speaker and the Governor, one branch of the legislature might be motivated to exercise that right of independenceObviously, there would need to be a loud, emotional statewide outcry on a variety of issues for the legislators to seek veto overrides.Without that, this session is history.
If there is any one lesson that has been learned and implemented over the past few years is “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”.Although government is now also “women, thankfully, our power is still derived from the power of the people, probably now more than ever.
And what is empowering all of us to take a large active role within the governmental and political process that Thomas Jefferson could not have forseen?The answer is the Internet.
While the Internet is being abused by some of our elected officials for their own personal gains, it connects us as a people like no other means of communication in history.We now have e-mail, text messaging, web sites, social media, blogs that joins our representatives to the citizens, and our citizens to one another.The Internet, indeed, has become the “great democratizer”.With mobile internet, we now have democracy on the fly.We can twitter our positions and take power in our own hands.
While Independence Day represents the freeing of America from the shackles of England, locally, it should also represent the power of government and of the people.We live in an amazing world where each one of us can now seek redress from our blackberries, Iphones or laptops.While there is still a disparity between those still behind in the digital divide, that gap is closing.Regardless, we are witnessing America the Beautiful being driven by the will of the people and the power of our own ingenuities which impact our national and local affairs in a history-making way where all of us, even when we disagree vehemently over issues, should be proud.The power is truly in the hands of the people.Our fore-fathers would indeed be truly delighted over the power of our independence.
Thus, with these thoughts, may everyone have a happy and healthy Independence Day
"............they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Nice little bedtime story there Stevie, to bad it's just another Brother's Grimm story....... Written by
on 7/9/2009
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Now ... about this thing where the citizens vote directly on issues ..... Written by .... ve hav veys to be productiv ja
on 7/6/2009
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Productive citizens?????? Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!!!!! Kind of hard to be 'productive' when you have one arm shackled behind the back and one leg shackled to a ball and chain.... Written by
on 7/6/2009
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Of course in LA some people (heterosexuals) are more equal than others. How many 1,000's of special rights do you need before you feel "entitled enough" to be able to be productive citizens????
Written by NoMoreSpecial Rights
on 7/5/2009
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Don't know about you led bottoms, but I do believe I fell the need............ the need for speed......................... 2 Hell with waiting around for someone to fall off the bandwagon....... We need action....... Written by
on 7/2/2009
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It's a shame you folks don't have a copy of the Morgan City Daily Review for Wednesday, July 1 2009.... The guest comment on the editorial page was spectacular.... Gregory J. Hamer Sr. had some choice words for little Senator Butchy Gautreaux....... 'Bout time some eloquent writtings are allowed public viewing............ Well done Mr. Hamer.... I second your emotions... Written by
on 7/2/2009
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major source of power? Please if you would my dear, explain what 'change' it is we are experiencing here in the good old U.S. of A if you would... Written by
on 7/2/2009
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Stephen, dear, you are right in one respect - the internet and the ability of citizens to communicate quickly and efficiently is a major source of power. It is also used by the politicians too - witness the last Presidential Election. It is also used for evil as we all know. However, over the years there have been inventions that have created power in the hands of the people - the telephone, the radio, the television, and now the internet (the press of the future as the written press will slowly decay). However, the internet has become the most valuable tool in the history of politics and democracy. The terror in Iran became known because of it and other inventions. Yes, may this nation's people become more involved and more involved as new methods of communication are developed. Written by RhettsWife
on 7/2/2009
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Enjoyed the article Mr. Sabuldowsky. We can be grateful that we accept (for the most part) what government does for ("to"?) us and do not have riots when we disagree, but instead wait for "the next election" to change things. Much needs to change, but this is still a great country. Written by kpf
on 7/2/2009
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You see, one of the biggest lessons learned from Katrina by the world is this; "All you have to do is keep them in a group and send them MRE's and they won't even lift a finger"............. No, their aren't too many folks out there that are willing to fight for their Independence, they would rather blog and tweet with ginourmous attachments about it................. Written by
on 7/2/2009
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Unless of course on a Macro view the 'cheap lands to the west for the taking' are known as AMERICA.... Oh well, won't be long for we get forclosed on.... Written by
on 7/2/2009
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Steve, Independence Day does not represent the freeing of America from the shackles of England. For the poor that participated in the Revolution it meant the ability to forge farther west for lands to cultivate and build homes on, and for the Rich folks that egged this thing on it meant "No taxation without representation" because they were in search of more profits, or at least a way to voice their opinions on the political front so the deck could be stacked a little better in their favor... They were tired of being told what they could manufacture and what they couldn't........... In other words, all parties rich and poor alike were interested in being allowed to pursue their individual destinies and to reap the success of their labors..... Talk about Deja Vue - seems like it could come round again except one thing is missing, cheap lands to the west to be had for the taking or the dying for... Written by
on 7/2/2009
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We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, 
