An Inversion of Political Intimidation

[An audio version of this article can be played below.]

Americans fear their government.
It was not supposed to be that way.

Despite only 11% of Americans having confidence in Congress, the masses seem either unwilling or unable to hold their representatives accountable and remove from office those whose (relatively) absolute power has absolutely corrupted them.

It’s quite natural for people to be intimidated by those in power. Employees are often nervous around the company president, students never want to be sent to the principal’s office, and anytime a driver sees a police officer in his rear view mirror, his heart rate accelerates faster than his car ever could. There’s just something about having to deal with authority figures that naturally makes such influential people seem intimidating. Knowing that the other person can, through a single decision or action, significantly alter (and worsen) your life puts the potential victims in a default position of apprehension and submission.

This, of course, is why people fear their government. Through a single piece of (lobbyist-written, never-read, massively long) legislation, one’s business can be destroyed, rights can be suppressed, and quality of life can be decreased to such a degree that a pursuit of happiness becomes subject to the government’s permission and discretion. Compounded bill after bill, session after session, the American people have been legislated into a corner and made to bow as serfs before an oppressive, omnipotent master.

This needs to change.

It’s beyond time for politicians—those who supposedly represent us and are employed at our collective behest—to be intimidated by their constituents and all citizens, rather than promoting and relishing in the culture of self-aggrandizing power lust. Simply put, the political class must be put on notice that their future is on the line unless they actually represent those who elected them and play by the rules.

For this to be possible, pressure must be added to the process. Rather than simply writing letters to the editor about or sending emails to a certain congresscritter, concerned citizens need to organize en masse to collectively flex their political muscle and make their voices heard and concerns understood—not merely during election season, but constantly.

Congress has historically enjoyed re-election rates in the mid to high 90 percentile, leading them to feel comfortable and entitled. Fortunately, this election cycle has shaken things up already, and if the trend is to continue to any degree, individuals must explore and implement effective ways of creating and perpetuating intimidation amongst the political class. No longer can they feel entitled; they must continually earn the opportunity to be entrusted with power. No longer should they wield that power for their own benefit; they must serve their constituents. No longer will they be afforded any comfort; they must be made to feel uncomfortable.

Ezra Taft Benson made clear that those in the federal government are the ones destroying our nation. When referencing those who would save the imperiled Constitution, he noted that its latter-day saviors would be those outside the beltway:

I have faith that the Constitution will be saved as prophesied by Joseph Smith. But it will not be saved in Washington. It will be saved by the citizens of this nation who love and cherish freedom. It will be saved by enlightened members of this Church—men and women who will subscribe to and abide the principles of the Constitution.

On another occasion, H. Verlan Anderson wrote:

One who knows not what his rights are can never know when they are taken and is unable to defend them. He is like a man who believes he owns a piece of ground which his neighbor also claims, but he doesn’t know its boundaries. The neighbor continues to encroach further and further onto land he suspects is his, but since he is never certain where the boundary is, he cannot check the advance. Until he takes a firm position and says: “this far and no further,” there is no line.

For too long, Americans have let their rights be treated as privileges bestowed by the government. The boundaries that once confined the federal government now confine Americans. We as Latter-day Saints especially, along with all our fellow Americans, must push back and assert our rights, holding the government accountable to the clear boundaries imposed by the Constitution, and to the oath of office each elected official has taken affirming their (alleged) intent to support and uphold that document.

The tables are turning right now, lightly balancing on a fulcrum of citizen activism. The extent to which more individuals get angry, get informed, and get to work on “throwing the bums out” will determine whether or not the entitled, power-hungry political class can be checked and made to fear the collective, coordinated, concentrated power of concerned citizens around the country.

So prepare some pink slips and eviction notices—it’s time to put the politicians on notice that their employer and landlord is preparing to kick them out. Citizens must show the government who the real boss is.

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