MORAL VALUES, OUR NATION'S DELEMMA

Sound moral values are essential if a society is to prosper and grow. I offer this not as some warm and fuzzy liberal thinking but rather as a simple objective reading of human history. From as far back as the Roman Empire when a state loses it’s moral compass, it soon withers and dies. Our national dilemma today is that we seem to be losing ours. When we are known less for the power of our ideas than for the idea of our power, it is not a good sign. Such is increasingly the case.

Moral values are best defined as codes of acceptable conduct in a given society. They expand on the letter of the law to include the spirit of the law as well. If the letter of the law says you cannot harm your fellow man, the spirit of the law says you must also help him where possible. This responsibility applies to both individuals and their societies.

Individuals’ moral codes are basically between themselves and their God. Beyond adherence to the letter of the law they are no business of the state. To the contrary, societies moral codes are the very essence of the state. Since ours is a government of the people we all have a vested interest in its morality.

For purposes of this essay we will leave individuals moral codes to the preachers and concentrate on societies. If “sins” of the flesh are the evangelicals obsession, sins of social injustice and government misadventures are mine. Would that the evangelicals would join me. I won’t ask them to drop their crusade, just add social injustice to their cause.

How can we expect less of our religious leadership. If they can not stay out of our bedrooms can’t they at least visit our boardrooms once in a while? We need all the help we can get to restore our nations integrity.

Our nation was founded on the highest of moral values so eloquently spelled out in our Declaration of Independence and Constitution. As times
changed new realities were addressed in an orderly fashion through constitutional amendments consistent with our states basic moral values.

I cannot overstate how important this is. Like it or not every element of our society is a direct reflection of our national government. Washington sets the moral tone for we citizens just as the parents, teachers, coaches, CEOs and preachers do for their flocks. There is no substitute for leadership by example. For better or for worse there is no escaping it either. Lack of moral leadership trickles down too.

Save for the civil war, for over 200 years our nation has met crisis after crisis with our Constitutional process unchallenged. Is all that about to change? Our long standing moral leadership is under attack both domestically and internationally. We do not seem to be living up to our hard earned reputation as “that shining city on the hill” President Ronald Reagan alluded to. I cannot overstate the perils this portends for our nation.

Never before in our history have we been held in lower esteem that we are today. The reason is quite simple. We have lost our credibility both abroad and here at home. Too many serious charges against us remain unadressed. Have we violated the Geneva Accords and the United Nations Charter? With the Patriot Act have we violated our very own Constitution? Far too many of us, Republicans and Democrats as well as Independents and Foreigners think we have. It’s time to formally address these issues.

If Washington leads the way the rest of us will follow. We always have. Moral leadership starts with responsible credibility. Quite simply you can’t successfully lead our Nation let alone the world if your word is not accepted as the truth. Nothing is more important. It may not be easy but I believe that not to resolve these issues would ultimately prove fatal to our democracy.

I believe that allegiance to our Constitution demands we act. We have met serious challenges before and we will almost certainly face them again. We prevailed in our Civil War and the abolition of slavery. We are steadily progressing on civil and equal rights matters. With the grace of God and the Democrats leadership we will most assuredly restore our moral compass and our place as Democracy’s best hope for peace and justice in this world. I remind our leaders that while expediency may protect your job today, courageous action will guarantee your legacy forever.