So, what do we stand for? Here's my attempt.
Good government. Paid for, by us, for us.
Government. We need the government, to take care of the common good, the protect the nation and its people, to set the rules that make life in society possible, and to enforce them.
Good government. Because the vital role of government require it to be honest, competent, accountable. The commons need to be managed well, for all. Bad government lets society rot and decline. Working for government must be a duty, not a priviledge; an honor, not a shame. It must be peformed to the highest standards of the community.
Paid for. Because the vital role of government, like any other service, has to be paid for, because it requires work, dedication, organisation and competent manpower. You get what you pay for, and if you don't pay for it, or if you pass on the bill to your children, or simply to yourself in the future, you won't get much in return. Excessive debt is not responsible - it is downright delinquent. And if you let corporations or other lobbies to pay for it, government will work for them and no longer for the rest of us.
by us. Government is run and managed and paid for by us. That means the appropriate taxes, and that means respecting those that do the work of government. That means also caring about it, and not thinking that it's too far, or too big, or too mysterious that you cannot have an influence. Don't give up government to special interests or to insiders.
for us. Government is not the enemy. It does what we make of it, or what we let it do. It works for the common good, but only if we care enough for it to do so. Ir protects us, gives us education, impartial information, a level paying field. It embodies solidarity between citizens, between generations, and between communities.
