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Charlotte Amalie
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeCommentaryOpen forumOpen forum: The Key to a Good Government

Open forum: The Key to a Good Government

Writing a letter (shutterstock)

Dear Source:

On Oct. 18, 1894, The Westminster Gazette printed a letter written by Sir Winston Churchill while he was a 20-year-old cadet at the Sandhurst Royal Military College.

In that letter Churchill writes “…the only method of reforming human nature and of obtaining a higher standard of morality is by educating the mind of the individual and improving the social conditions under which he lives. Well-meaning but misguided people have prevailed upon government to disclaim responsibility which it was their bounden duty to accept.”

It sounded to me like Churchill was screaming to us from the past.

First off, Churchill recognized that the key to good government is rooted in a well-educated electorate. If our officials are beholden to political parties only, without regard for the consequences of their actions on society as a whole, society will suffer. Do not vote for these types.  Likewise, if our elected officials take actions only because they themselves benefit by these actions and not because these actions benefit society at large, they do not deserve to be senators. Do not vote for these types.

While I was reading Churchill’s letter, our representative to Congress, Stacey Plaskett, was so eloquently imploring the U.S. Senate to accept its responsibility by convicting ex-president Trump of neglecting his own responsibility to respect the Constitution of the United States of America.

Therefore, I implore our Education Department to teach our children a class in civics; to educate them about the importance of elections and the importance of choosing the best candidates for office who offer intelligent solutions to our problems; and to not choose candidates who ignore their responsibilities “which it is their bounden duty to accept.”

Sincerely,

Alan M. Greaves of St. Thomas

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