Letter: Politics is how America does democracy

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letters_flatTo the editor,

I am writing in response to Board of Finance member Brian Ploss’ letter dated April 5.  While I did not understand several of Mr. Ploss’ references in his approximately 700-word piece, I did pick up that he wants the Board of Finance to be above our political system (seven references) and that he did not appreciate goe-anita’s?, Mr. McDuffie’s or Selectman Chris Bielik’s comments. He particularly does not seem to care for Selectman Bielik very much at all: “lost all respect,” “grandstanding done by the selectman.”

Of course Mr. Ploss is no stranger to the political arena, serving as he does, on the Republican Town Committee. As a politician, Mr. Ploss should know you can’t have it both ways; calling for a non-political government process while at the same time engaging in the most personal of political discourse: the ad hominem attack on the character of Selectman Bielik and impugning his motivation. This sort of attack is usually crafted to obscure the real substance of the issue at hand.

Mr. Ploss, politics is how America does democracy and if the government kitchen gets a bit heated, especially when it concerns our tax dollars, you should understand that this is part of a time honored tradition and give it the respect it deserves.

Ned Grace

Beacon Falls

3 COMMENTS

  1. To Mr. Grace : I think I must be missing something. Why wouold anyone be chastised for wanting our Board of Finance to be “above our political system.”

    To Ms. Anita : the level of partisanship is what’s causing voter apathy in this country. Most citizens don’t (and rightly so) deem themselves worthy to stoop to the levels of rediculousness to which our elected officials stoop. We’re not getting our money’s worth !

    To Mr. Brownn : a one word reply to your urging our Board of Finance to remain politically neutral. AMEN.

  2. Mr. Brownn – You have a one sided view it seems. Brian Ploss wrote a long-winded response due to a few who supported Selectman Bielik’s LTE for citizens to get involved in the process. What is wrong with his request and the support from those who have elected him (our voice.)

    With regards to your comment on democracy, here is the definition:
    “In most modern democracies, the whole body of all eligible citizens remain the sovereign power but political power is exercised indirectly through elected representatives; this is called representative democracy.” Hence: elected representatives include the members of political parties in a democracy. Like it or not.

    FYI I am not on the Democratic Town Committee, however I am a registered Democrat.

    To the citizens of Beacon Falls: get involved, attend meetings, and vote. The choice is yours to make Beacon Falls better — the more votes the less deadlock. Your voice is needed, voter apathy is affecting this entire nation.

  3. Mr. Grace, Democracy is a form of government in which all eligible citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Democracy allows eligible citizens to participate equally—either directly or through elected representatives—in the proposal, development, and creation of laws. It encompasses social, economic and cultural conditions that enable the free and equal practice of political self-determination. While free speech is one of the underlying principles that democracy like ours supports, democracy is not the political process, i.e. political parties, you seem to espouse in your response to Mr. Ploss’s letter. The legislative body, we the people, is who makes up our democracy.

    Sadly, political parties both D & R, have hijacked our democracy and twisted our representative government into something to play with, which has given us the deadlock we see in Washington today. It seems that you as a player in this game (you are a member of the Democratic Committee as are the three people you are defending), instead of joining Mr. Ploss in trying to make the Board of Finance be impartial and work for the People of Beacon Falls, would rather support this model of “do not let the other guys make any progress in their attempt to straighten the mess from past administrations”, and bring deadlock to local government.

    Mr. Ploss, please continue to strive towards your neutral position when acting as a member of the Board of Finance and for realizing that this is what we, the legislative body desire. I hope others on this and other boards and commissions will take this same position when serving this community.

    Oh and Mr. Grace, this response is 289 words in length. There is no need to count them.