You’ve probably heard the expression “Quid Pro Quo” before. It means “an equal exchange.” Another way to say this is “You get what you pay for.” Whatever your phraseology, the concept is pretty simple. For any thing you want, you must have something to exchange for it. This concept is the basis for our entire social structure and is manifested in many ways, from the exchange of our talents and time for money to the exchange of our money for food, shelter, and all the other things in life we buy. Determining the value of the exchange is important, and in our capitalistic economic system, the concept of supply and demand play a big role in determining the worth of things and talent. But the topic of this essay is not economics. There is another way to express the sentiment of quid pro quo, and that is “You get what you give.” It is this definition, and it’s association to our democratic government, that interests me.
If you believe the polls and the opinion editorials and the general grumbling of the people on the street, you might infer that Americans are growing increasingly unhappy with the quality of service they are receiving from their government, a government that is supposedly elected to respond to their concerns as a whole, and not just a government that works for the interests of the select or noisiest few. We complain about leniency for violent criminals and revolving prison doors. We decry the complexity and snail’s pace of the legal system, both criminal and civil. We constantly tirade at the state of our educational system, our medical system, or our retirement system. We shake our heads in disgust at the corruption uncovered almost daily among the political leadership in our cities and states and national levels of government. But when the jury summons arrives in the mailbox, our first thought is finding a way to get excused. When our children fail to pass skills tests or need remedial classes to get into community colleges, we find a teacher or program to blame instead of stepping in to help our kids learn. And when our politicians are out of touch or just plain stupid, we re-elect them based on a party affiliation instead of looking for a viable alternative. Even when they are indicted for corruption, we look to their contemporaries to fill their shoes, letting the shady deals pick up as if nothing had ever changed. In increasing numbers, we aren’t even voting at all. Quid pro quo. You get what you give. If we’re as unhappy as we proclaim to be, if we’re as dissatisfied and disgusted as we profess to be, why aren’t we giving more so that we can get a better product?
Part of the problem is the growing feeling among average people that the whole political process is too corrupt to change and that nothing we could do or say will make a difference. This feeling of hopelessness is neither accurate nor acceptable if we are to revive true self-government and restore democratic values to our political system. The fact is that at least 40% and upwards of 80% of eligible voters do not participate in local, state, or federal elections. In Fixing The Vote, Parts One and Two, I explored the reasons for this dilemma and offered some viable solutions to help turn this trend around. But an even bigger part of the solution lies in changing our own attitudes and deciding to get back in the game. Hopelessness is not accurate because if all of those unheard voices would let themselves be heard, then hope could transcend into reality through the election of real people-oriented representatives instead of the paid for politicians we have now. Hopelessness is not acceptable because to abandon the process is to give it to the corrupt corporations and their political hacks, in effect handing them the key to our public assets and turning our backs as they plunder the safe. If change is what you want, then you must let it be known. Find a candidate you can support and get the silent majority to actually turn out and back your choice instead of settling for the party’s anointed golden child of the season or forgoing the vote altogether.
Do you want a representative who spends his or her time cuddling up to big money donors instead of working on the public problems? Do you want to continue to pay taxes to support an over-bloated bureaucracy that fumbles the future integrity of our educational, medical, and retirement systems? Do you want a politician who would give away your public lands and funds so that they can be exploited by billion dollar corporations or shut down entirely by special interest demands? If your answer is “Hell No!” then you must give more than lip service. You must get more involved. You must vote. Otherwise, you might just as well keep your gripes to yourself.
It may seem simplistic to continually return to the importance of voting and its ability to create reform, but as with many things in life, simple is the way to go. And truth be told, while the act of voting is among the most important tools we have for reform, it is also the least imposing form of action imaginable. It takes mere minutes (especially if you get an absentee ballot sent to you) in many cases, and in places where the lines to the polls are longer, demand for and volunteer to staff more polling centers. As registration increases with a renewed realization of the empowerment that voting can bring, election officials will be forced to open more polling centers. If they follow the model set by Starbucks (a shop on every corner, because waiting more than a few minutes is too long to wait), voting could be as easy as drive-thru service. If you want people you can trust in office, you’ve got to put them there. Quid pro quo.
Increasing the vote is the first big step, and also the easiest, at least it should be. Beyond that, levels of involvement become more time consuming, but also more important as they relate to oversight and holding elected officials accountable for their actions on our behalf. We must be willing to join local citizen panels and school associations and public information committees. We must be willing to support honest attempts at reform as vociferously as we now bemoan the idiocy that passes for judicious public stewardship. We must eliminate government excess and corruption to retain our freedoms while reforming government efficiency to sustain our future. We must stop being silent.
With the active participants of democracy already in the fray, and getting nowhere but deeper in the morass of corruption and stagnancy, the ability of this country to move to a viable Common Sense position has been reduced. It has been stealthily subverted by the corporate interests and destructive forces of distorted religious ideologies and selfish attitudes of elected officials and fringe, self-serving positions of far right and far left special interest groups. You get what you give, and when you give less and less, someone else will try to fill that gap. In American politics, average citizens have been letting someone else dictate what they should think or support because they won’t speak for themselves. Are you one of those people? If you are, the future of change really rests in your hands.
This entry was posted on Sunday, October 9th, 2005 at 7:21 am and is filed under Common Sense, Democracy, Government, Politics, Reform.
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October 9th, 2005 at 3:46 pm
Every time I hear the phrase “quid pro quo,” I think of the scene in Silence of the Lambs where the two main characters set up the deal where they will work to mutual benefit.
Indeed, public apathy is a troublesome problem in a society where entitlement is pervasive and credit card companies fuel the missuse of capital for instantaneous gratification – even though you haven’t earned it.
I was at a reunion party last night takling with some friends, one of whom is a Hundai Auto Dealer – retail operation. He does the hiring and firing of the sales force. Of note, he was lamenting that he had to fire so many folks that don’t have any kind of work ethic or drive to excell but hold a pervaisive sense they were still entitled to some grand paycheck they didn’t earn. Mainly, those were people fresh out of high school or even a bit older. You don’t need any real diploma beyond high school to sell cars.
Anyway, the very real trouble here that echos in this friend’s message was that people participate less and less and expect more – those expectations are most certain to be smashed on the rocks of reality sooner than later.
Involvment is key and those who don’t become involved abdicate their right to complain…moreover, they don’t ever see the benefit and power of positive involvement. leveraging change – as I think it was Margaret Meed who said, “never underestimate the great changes a small number of people can affect (of course, this is a paraphrase)” – People who indead work together to inprove their corners of the world come away with a powerfully positive feeling (intrisic as it is) that they had indeed, done good! You too can become a local hero – that sustains my involvement on many levels. Never famous, but always working toward good keeps me getting out of bed in the Am.
Blog on brother
October 9th, 2005 at 11:37 pm
Good post as always Ken!
In effect, you are saying that the problems we face in politics are similar to the old saying that you can lead a horse to water but can’t make him drink. Truly, if people want change they should stop being complacent.
Do you know how many people I know and have met that didn’t vote last year? Do you know how many more than that I know that voted party line?
The question is: How do we get people to put up or shut up? That’s really the problem. It’s easy to complain about the way the world is but it’s much harder to risk everything and try to change it. Sometimes I think I have ideas for making this happen but with the way Americans are getting so complacent, I don’t think I have a clue. I do know that covering lies with lies to make voters feel good is not a way to go but that’s what politicians do today, particularly GOP’ers. Do you think things will improve Ken? Or shall folks like you and I merely work and work for change fruitlessly?
October 10th, 2005 at 9:07 pm
A very good post full of food for thought. I agree with all of what you have written and the coments also.
I know many people who are out of touch politically and yes, find it easy to vote the party line because they do not have exert themselves enough to consider the issues. I usually at some point turn the conversation to politics (I can’t help it, tee hee) but justify my actions as “educational”. I am always sure to mention that political responsibility is necessary to maintain a democratic society. I figure that we need to plant seeds whenever we can and if we are lucky, someday one may sprout to grow into a responsible voter.
Maybe, I am beating my head against the wall by writing a blog…especially at my age…but I keep hoping that all of our voices together covering the range of topics that we do, will add up to change for the better.
“Ouid pro quo”….If we are all giving it the best that we’ve got maybe we can help our society reap the benefits and give Bush and his gang of neocon bandits the shaft they that SO deserve!
P.S. I was thinking today about how many wonderful, smart, hard-working bloggers I have found and read regularly. I truly treasure each and every one of you.
October 11th, 2005 at 6:30 am
Eloquently stated and very thoughtful post.
October 11th, 2005 at 7:13 pm
WOW keep up the good work my friend… If you have time check out my blog… at http://revolutiontimes1.blogspot.com
Thanks Alot
Ghost Writer
October 13th, 2005 at 6:53 am
(responses)
Windspike- Can you hear the lambs Clarice? I enjoyed that movie, but the book was better. No big shock there…
You’re right- it’s tough to graple with apathy in a society that shines on the surface of its rotten core. there must be a little Don Quixote in me here…
And the sad part is that when the realization really hits it will be that much harder to turn the tide peacefully. I hope Americans get our act together before we become something we were never meant to be- an imperialistic, militarized society and government that is but a hollow shell of its former self.
Thanks for the thoughts.
OKLib- Indeed- complacency is a viscious mate, keeping you blissfully appeased in the face of all that is wrong with our government.
As for your latter query, I’ve been trying to contact you about that very thing- if you haven’t gotten an e-mail from me, please contact me through the e-mail address in my profile.
Always glad to hear from you…
KWW- Hello again. Planting seeds is important, and at this point, just increasing the voting pool would make things at least more “representational” especially if those formerly absentee voters took the time to know what was going on and demand better candidates.
Quid pro quo indeed! If this is all we’re collectively willing to give, then what we get will never be more than we see today- totally unresponsive to the mandates of good government in favor of political cronyism and corruption.
And I hope you count yourself among those who you praise. Your common sense writings offer a perspective that is both different and affirming to so many others out there. I find it amazing that amidst all the political divisiveness portrayed by the parties and the media, that so many from such disparate walks of life see things in the same way.
Dee- Thank you. Do come back again.
Ghost Writer- I’ll try to stop by, and I’m glad you enjoyed the post.
October 13th, 2005 at 2:43 pm
Your post is very true, not just in government but society in general.
October 13th, 2005 at 4:30 pm
I agree with your assessment, but honestly feel it is too late for man to turn his course around and make things better for everyone. We don’t have the collective power or good sense as a species. Beside that, there are too many enemies that will fight to the death to destroy anything that smacks of decency in this world.
October 13th, 2005 at 7:29 pm
this from Calvin & Hobbes:
Calvin: “When I grow up, I’m not going to read the newspaper and I’m not going to follow complex issues and I’m not going to vote. That way I can complain when the government doesn’t represent me. Then, when everything goes down the tubes, I can say the system doesn’t work and justify my further lack of participation.”
Hobbes: “An ingeniously self-fulfilling plan.”
Calvin: “It’s a lot more fun to blame things than to fix them.”
October 16th, 2005 at 1:59 pm
(respnses)
Mindflame- Thanks for dropping by, and for being able to see through the nonsense.
Michael- You may be right, but I still think it’s worth the effort to try. Thanks for leaving your thoughts here.
Xenmante- I used to love Calvin and Hobbes! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a bit of levity here.
Hope to hear from you again.
October 21st, 2005 at 4:52 am
lOVED YOUR STUFF.Hope one day it cxhanges.