The Responsibility We All Hold in Our Hands

Published: February 13, 2019

By Jim Lichtman
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How does that ancient Chinese curse go, “May you live in interesting times”?

Actually, that quote comes not from the Chinese at all. The closest Chinese expression is, “Better to be a dog in a peaceful time, than to be a human in a chaotic period.” (We clearly seem to be living in the latter.)

While John Dingell was the longest serving congressman in U.S. history, 59 years (1955 – 2015), he certainly had more than his share of interesting times.

However, what’s interesting is that Dingell didn’t retire due to his age. “…when he announced that he would not seek re-election,” The New York Times reports (Feb. 7), “he said he was stepping down because he no longer recognized the institution he loved. Bitter partisanship, he said, was preventing the House from getting anything done. ‘I find serving in the House to be obnoxious,’ he told The Detroit News.”

Like Senator John McCain, Dingell left a message for the America he once represented. As released through The Detroit News (Feb. 10). His final thoughts are filled with achievement and melancholy, accountability and duty.

“In our modern political age,” Dingell says, “the presidential bully pulpit seems dedicated to sowing division and denigrating, often in the most irrelevant and infantile personal terms, the political opposition.

“And much as I have found Twitter to be a useful means of expression, some occasions merit more than 280 characters.

“My personal and political character were formed in a different era that was kinder, if not necessarily gentler. We observed modicums of respect even as we fought, often bitterly and savagely, over issues that were literally life and death to a degree that – fortunately – we see much less of today.

“Think about it:

“Impoverishment of the elderly because of medical expenses was a common and often accepted occurrence. Opponents of the Medicare program that saved the elderly from that cruel fate called it ‘socialized medicine.’ Remember that slander if there’s a sustained revival of silly red-baiting today.

“Not five decades ago, much of the largest group of freshwater lakes on earth – our own Great Lakes – were closed to swimming and fishing and other recreational pursuits because of chemical and bacteriological contamination from untreated industrial and wastewater disposal. Today the Great Lakes are so hospitable to marine life that one of our biggest challenges is controlling the invasive species that have made them their new home.

“We regularly used and consumed foods, drugs, chemicals, and other things (cigarettes) that were legal, promoted, and actively harmful. Hazardous wastes were dumped on empty plots in the dead of night. There were few if any restrictions on industrial emissions. We had only the barest scientific knowledge of the long-term consequences of any of this.

“And there was a great stain on America, in the form of our legacy of racial discrimination. There were not good people on both sides. But there were good people of all colors who banded together, risking and even losing their lives to erase the legal and other barriers that held Americans down.  In their time they were often demonized and targeted, much like other vulnerable men and women today.

“…all of these challenges were addressed by the Congress. Maybe not as fast as we wanted, or as perfectly as hoped. The work is certainly not finished. But we’ve made progress – and in every case, from the passage of Medicare through the passage of civil rights, we did it with the support of Democrats and Republicans who considered themselves first and foremost to be Americans.

“I’m immensely proud, and eternally grateful, for having had the opportunity to play a part in all of these efforts during my service in the Congress. And it’s simply not possible for me to adequately repay the love that my friends, neighbors and family have given me and shown me during my public service and retirement.

“But I would be remiss in not acknowledging the forgiveness and sweetness of the woman who has essentially supported me for almost forty years, my wife Deborah.  And it is a source of great satisfaction to know that she is among the largest group of women to have ever served in the Congress (as she busily recruits more).

“In my life and career, I have often heard it said that so-and-so has real power – as in, ‘the powerful Wile E. Coyote, chairman of the Capture the Roadrunner Committee.’

“It’s an expression that has always grated on me. In democratic government, elected officials do not have power. They hold power — in trust for the people who elected them. If they misuse or abuse that public trust, it is quite properly revoked (the quicker the better).

“I never forgot the people who gave me the privilege of representing them. It was a lesson learned at home from my father and mother, and one I have tried to impart to the people I’ve served with and employed over the years.

“As I prepare to leave this all behind, I now leave you in control of the greatest nation of mankind and pray God gives you the wisdom to understand the responsibility you hold in your hands.

“May God bless you all and may God bless America.”

I pray that Washington lawmakers heed Dingell’s words and act responsibly to put the needs of the country ahead of either party.

Comments

  1. Such powerful words by John Dingell to creatively address issues that are currently manipulating the nature of politics and the environment of congress. A [loyal] member [of Congress] … [it] should open the eyes of others.

    It is obvious that there is a problem, and Dingell’s speech should awaken the spirit of the American people to take action when public policy is being produced and when voting season is near.

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