Politics – Position Paper

Politics – Position Paper
by: Thomas Lee Abshier, ND
8/26/2023

Politics refers to the activities, actions, and policies used to gain and hold power in a government or to influence the government’s decisions. It involves the exercise of authority, negotiation, and competition among individuals, groups, or parties to shape public policies, allocate resources, and make decisions that affect the functioning of a society or a governing body.

Here are key aspects that are often associated with politics:

1. Power and Governance: Politics revolves around acquiring, exercising, and distributing power within a governmental or societal context. Politics involves the structures, institutions, and processes through which power is wielded and decisions are made.
2. Public Affairs and Policymaking: Politics involves addressing public issues and concerns, formulating policies, and making decisions that impact various aspects of society, such as healthcare, education, economy, and social issues.
3. Representation and Participation: Politics includes the representation of citizens’ interests, often through elected officials or other forms of representation, and the involvement of individuals and groups in political processes, including voting, activism, and advocacy.
4. Conflict and Competition: Politics often entails competition for power, conflicting interests, and differing viewpoints. Political actors and parties may engage in debates, negotiations, and compromises to advance their agendas and secure their positions.
5. Ideologies and Beliefs: Various ideologies, beliefs, and values influence political activities. Diverse political ideologies, such as conservatism, liberalism, socialism, and others, shape policy positions and guide political actors and parties.

Politics extends beyond government and can be observed in various spheres of life, including international relations, organizations, and interpersonal relationships.

Regarding Power and Governance: One of the human drives is to experience power.  The exercise of power is equivalent to control, moving the world to conform to a desired state, which improves the chances of mating, survival, and pleasure. The trump card in the deck of human capabilities is the ability to exercise power. With sufficient power, the power to coerce or enroll action, a man can force the actions of other men to meet his needs.

The power exercised in government depends on individuals motivated to achieve goals by the threat of consequences for failure and/or reward for success. We are a Republic, which is a democracy moderated by laws and our Constitution that protects the rights of the minority. A democracy is a majority-rule system, and it can be perverted by offering largesse to the public voter or legislators in return for votes. Such trading of votes for benefits is the tragic flaw of democracy and The United States Republic.

If government officials can be bought/seduced/pressured (by threats or acts), then justice/legislation/administration will be perverted. Government wields the power of the sword, and those who populate the halls of government can use its threat to pervert the direction of resources.

The question is then, “What method of political process and structure will eliminate the perversion of government by corruption and threats?”

The answer is the sanctification of the populace. The people must be Godly, and the representatives and officials serving in government must be Godly. There must be trust, and there must be verification. Transparency and accountability are the keys to justifying that trust and enabling verification. The negotiations of all legislation must be public, the deliberation of trials must be public, the executive committee meetings must be public, etc. The financial transactions of all public officials must be public, and the negotiations for trading votes for alternately beneficial legislation must be made public. The meetings with every lobbyist and communications with donors must be made public. The grey economy of influence trading must be exposed.

But without the corresponding purification/sanctification of the electorate, all efforts at enforcement will be futile. The electorate is the feeder stock for those who serve in government.

Psalm 12:8 “The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.” Exaltation is a flesh hunger for power, fame, and glory. These hungers will always be present in men, and government service in high office can feed that hunger and attract those who desire that fulfillment. G Edward Griffin, “Socialism is a magnet for the predatory class.” The hunger for more and the gradient of temptation and compromise can seduce even the most wary. The hook of fear of small exposure after small compromise sets the stage for ever-larger compromise.

Asking, after every vote, “Did you trade your vote for support of another bill, or did you give special consideration to any constituents or donors regarding this bill?” is a start but is not an absolute brake on anyone making covert deals – but it makes such influence trading harder.

Again, the solution to government corruption is self-regulated/self-adopted/self-motivated Godliness. The process of getting elected should not require spending millions of dollars – a requirement that ensures indebtedness to donors. The current system ensures that candidates will be compromised/indebted to donors by the time they arrive as the winner in the democratic process.

I offer my candidacy as an example of a debt-free/obligation-less run for office. I will tell my friends about my position, do YouTube videos and podcasts, speak locally, and then drive around the country speaking at churches, Rotary Clubs, and Toastmaster meetings, etc. I will post all my positions, philosophy, agenda, history, and qualifications on my website. I will send out a newsletter and form a Coalition of people dedicated to serving as promoters for my candidacy.  I will take no donations and pay for staff (if needed) out of my pocket. I will not have obligated myself to anyone if I am elected. I will stay in contact with my constituency throughout my time in office through my Coalition contacts. I will ask my constituency for their positions on issues, debate/discuss the options on legislation, and offer them arguments for my decisions. When it is time for reelection, I will not be asking for donations for reelection, as I will be in a relationship with those who elected me initially. I only desire to serve God and Country. I will encourage other candidates to follow the same path as me.

1. The first step in sanctifying politics is promoting the Word of God to America. It is our standard, the measure by which the Constitution, Bill of Rights, Declaration, and all legislation and administrative rulings must be measured. The population, the people, and the culture must be sanctified. We must overtly embrace the Bible in school, public events, and government halls.
2. The second step is deep transparency and accountability for all politicians/officeholders regarding donations, influence trading, etc.
3. The third step is removing campaign donations and lobbyist influence from legislators for their election and reelection. The lawn signs and TV ad method of getting elected is expensive and shallow. There is no real relationship or understanding of the candidate’s positions, moral character, or qualification with running such a gauntlet.
4. The voting process must be voter-fraud-proof with verifiable/impenetrable/incorruptible voter eligibility, identification, and chain of custody integrity.