Second February Message from the Chair
What It Means to be a Leader:
"Look, There Goes My People, I Must Find Out Which
Way They Are Heading So That I May Lead Them"
On the heels of what is being billed as
the third largest tax increase in Nevada history, which
I am told by reputable sources, has zero chance of failing
in the senate, I have heard many different reasons by
our elected Republican leaders as to why they abandoned
core Republican principles to vote for IP-1.
Chief among the reasons is this silly
notion that "the people of my district voted for
it" referring to an advisory question on a 3% room
tax that was on the ballot in November. I won't take
the time to regurgitate the arguments against this fallacy
since many smarter folks than I have picked that one
apart pretty easily and thoroughly. I would focus on
a greater reason why Republicans should not have voted
for the tax increase, why the leader of the Republican
Party of Nevada should veto it, and why Republican legislators
in Nevada should not vote for tax increases in the future.
It all turns on this crazy notion of providing LEADERSHIP.
Here's the rub. If our Republican leaders
buy into this flawed rationale that says, in essence,
that "the masses voted for it so I must represent
their wishes" then they have misconstrued their
duties based upon a flawed understanding of a basic
principle of American representative government. Additionally,
and perhaps just as important to Republicans, they have
abandoned their role as a Republican leaders.
First, we are a REPUBLIC, not a democracy.
If our legislators don't understand their roles, they
need only look at Article IV, sect. 4 of the U.S. Constiution,
that guarantees the people of every state a "Republican
form of government." That means that our leaders
do not look to simply follow what is popularly believed
by the masses. So when our legislators say, "it's
what the voters of my district wanted" they don't
understand their roles as legislators in the United
States of America.
I didn't want this piece to be a lesson
in American government and history, but alas, ring the
bell. School is back in session.
Instead of having the people decide the
important issues of the day directly through their own
participation in town hall type meetings or initiatives
and referendums, our founding fathers decided that such
a dangerously flawed system that is "incompatible
with personal security or the rights of property"
should be dumped in favor of a REPUBLIC (See Federalist
#10.)
What does this mean, students? It means
that "The Framers" understood that "the
constituents of my district" usually do not have
the time, astuteness, or issue sensibility to make complex
decisions. That's why the created legislators who are
supposed to LEAD.
The truth is, if we wanted our legislators
to merely go along with what their constituents wanted,
there would be no need to have legislators. In this
technological day and age, we could simply log on to
our computers and cast our votes on issues that affect
us. In fact, to cut down on human error, under this
theory there would be no need for humans. No need for
political philosophy. No need for a legislature. No
need for leadership.
Which brings me to the most important
point, and that is that Republicans want LEADERSHIP
from our legislators.
Ring the bell, again.
Leadership has been defined as "the
capacity to establish direction and to influence and
align others toward a common goal, motivating and committing
them to action and making them responsible for their
performance. (http://dictionary.bnet.com/definition/Leadership.html)
If this is a valid definition of leadership,
and it is, then where have our Republican legislators
"established direction," or "influenced"
others? Where are the leaders who are supposed to be
arguing for smaller government? Where are the Colonel
Travis's of the Republican Party who are willing to
draw the proverbial line in the sand, and say to the
Democrats who will be pushing several measures that
will detrimentally impact the taxpayer, "not on
my watch." Where is the sacrifice? Where is the
leadership? Arguing that "my constituents voted
for it, and therefore I must follow their direction"
is, quite simply, an abdication of leadership. Republicans
don't want that.
Now, more than ever, we need Republicans
who are willing to fight for the Republican brand. We
need Republicans who will stand and fight for less government
intrusion into our daily lives and more fiscal responsibility.
We don't need the kind of leadership that says, ""Look,
there goes my people, I must find out which way they
are heading so that I may lead them."
Bernie Zadrowski,
Clark County GOP Chairman
chairman@clarkgop.org
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