David Miller: The United States needs Congress to represent the interests of all the people

To The Daily Sun,

The United States does not need a savior. We need Congress to do their job, to represent the interests of all the people.

We need effective governance with a stable plan for the future, which meets the dynamic needs of today, and protects everyone from tyranny — foreign or domestic. We need ranked-choice voting. We need to repay federal debts. We need a pandemic-like response to environmental degradation. We need immigration reform which enables lawful, tax generating, migration with potential to work towards permanent residency or even citizenship; 95% of the United States immigrated here.

"Ex pluribus unum," Latin, which means “Out of many, one,” is a foundational motto of the United States. Simplified to "E pluribus unum," each letter represented one of the 13 individual states becoming one nation, one people, united against the British Empire; together the states were strong, divided they would fall. However, revolutionaries from the thirteen original states did not stand alone; France, indigenous allies, and others were essential in securing the U.S. Constitution against British tyranny.

Perhaps this basic principle of our founding was forgotten when the Congress of 1956 abandoned our motto of unity, changing the national motto to “In God We Trust.” This change appears to be an obvious violation of the First Amendment’s establishment clause separating church and state; not all citizens are religious, to force God on them is not the government’s place. Similarly, in 1954, “under God” was added to the Pledge of Allegiance. Humanity does not need our faith in God, it — our allies — needs a united people to stand against tyranny, both foreign and domestic.

Tyranny does not disappear, it ebbs and flows threatening to overtake governments which become complacent. Representatives who put self-interest before country are feeding the interests of tyranny — democracy's end.

David Miller

Meredith