Consent of the Governed

When I was watching the debates a couple of weeks ago between Senators John McCain and Barack Obama, the phrase consent of the governed was on the screen behind Sen. Obama (and later Gov. Sarah Palin in the Vice-Presidential debates). That phrase stuck out to me. What is “consent of the governed?”

The term is used in the Declaration of Independence. “That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed—" I believe the term comes from the principle that says, “whenever a government ceases to meets of the needs of the people, the people have a responsibility to abolish such government and replace it with a new one.” It was used to rationalize the colonies’ succession from the Commonwealth of England.

In effect, consent of the governed means that governments get their power from the permission of those they govern. I suppose this is even true of those dictatorships. Even though they claim divine right of leadership, the people they govern give them their authority. They give their consent because they do not stage revolutions, plot coup d’etats, or attempt assassinations.

In the U.S., we give our consent when we vote. The U.S. is what is called a Democratic Republic. We elect people to represent us in Congress and the White House. Those people are supposed to represent the wishes of the majority of the people. That may not always be the case because with the Electoral College, it is possible to win the majority vote but lose the race with fewer electoral votes (that’s for another discussion). Some are trying to eradicate the Electoral College, but I don’t know how what going.

It gets me when people say they are not going to vote, yet they complain about the government later. They argue that they do not vote because there is no purpose. They think is all a set up and the other person is going to get in anyway. The thing is, if you don’t vote, you can’t complain about the government. If you refuse to exercise your right to voice your choice of candidate or the acceptance or decline of a proposed law, then you should keep quiet when things don’t go their way later. This is especially true of black people who didn’t even have the right to vote at one time. They had to fight to get the right to vote and now they do not want to exercise it is totally foolish.

We have a responsibility to vote. We have a responsibility to our nation, our community, and our family to put the person we think will best lead our nation. We have a responsibility to ensure the laws that are passed are laws that will be beneficial to us. The reason why lobbyists have so much power and budgets are so full of earmarks is because there is lack of accountability on the part of the constituency. If we would fire politicians when they fail to keep their promises, they might think twice about what they promise and how easy they break those promises.

We should pray first, then cast our votes and leave the rest to God. After the election, we should continue to uplift our leaders in prayer. The Bible says, “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence (1 Timothy 2:1-2).” We also need to keep them accountable for their actions. If not, we cannot complain about high taxes and unethical practices in government. We must remember both honest and dishonest politicians govern by our consent.

Take advantage of your freedom and exercise your right to vote this election year!