Should we rely on politicians to educate?

Recent (published) letter to the editor of the Raleigh News & Observer. I was responding to another letter writer who was encouraging Congressmen and women to educate their constituents on the stimulus package and what it meant for the economy.

First, his letter:

Our elected officials are there to help streamline the decision-making and represent the consensus of the people they represent. They also have to be teachers. Every good leader is a teacher first. I am too young to remember politics before George W. Bush, but having experienced his term, he might have had an easier time if he had taught. His politics were hidden behind shadows; very few people understood him and hated his decisions for it.

President Barack Obama's example now should be followed by the rest of the government: Go back to those whom you represent, get airtime on local stations, get in touch with as many of those you represent as you can, and explain to them what is happening, what it is hoped to accomplish, and how. We've heard where money's supposed to go. Now the big question is how is this going to help and how is it going to be implemented.

The workings of the government need to be made bare to the people it represents. Give us the benefit of the doubt; if we are to be educated then it should begin with knowledge of how our society works.

Now, my response:

The writer of the Feb. 25 letter "Obama the teacher" suggested that it is the responsibility of our elected officials to teach electors about the functions of government and the economy, particularly when it comes to explaining what is broken in our current environment and how recent legislation will fix it. Methinks thou dost trust too much.

I would contend that we the people should not count on our government to teach us but should educate ourselves in order to know when politicians and such are pulling the wool over our eyes.

Republicans and Democrats have far different ideas of what action (if any) is needed to rescue our economy. Which ideas are right? Well, that would depend on who is teaching, wouldn't it? If we need to be educated, we need to take that responsibility upon ourselves. The worst thing we could do is rely solely on the proponents of a particular plan for such enlightenment.