Legislative reflections
III
Every day while the legislature is in session, we engage in
opening ceremonies.
Those several mornings consist of a
prayer – or words of wisdom – the national anthem, and the pledge of
allegiance.
I participating you know ceremonies every day for the
whole session, I had a chance to learn and to reflect.
The Pledge
of Allegiance, which we all know by heart, goes like
this.
"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United
States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation
under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for
all."
The words which stick in my mind the most are
the last phrase, "with liberty and justice for all.
I have come to
wonder whether we live up to the mandate expressed by the pledge of
allegiance.
When we deny seniors access to appropriate health care.
when we limit the ability of students to be educated for a career and job
in the 21st-century, when we create laws which favor one minority over the
other, then we have not guaranteed liberty and justice for all. Instead
sometimes it seems we guarantee wealth and privilege for some.
I
first went into the legislature as a Democrat without really knowing why.
Now I know why. I'm a Democrat because I believe that an investment in the
welfare of the people of Maine is an investment in Maine
itself.
I believe education which enables students to find success in the complex world of the 21st-century is essential.
I believe that as leaders we have a mandate to exert stewardship for the environment so that it can be preserved for those who will inherit it
I believe all citizens have a right to just and equal treatment and opportunities.