An Open Letter to my Son, who is angry and questioning, rightfully so, why skin color and gender have played such a huge and dramatized role in Biden’s pick for VP.
Son ,I fully understand your anger and why you are asking this question. The answer is because “politics”, affairs of the cities, as it is currently practiced and applied by man (male and female) is a man-made system born out of self-centeredness. With “man” in power it is not altruistic.
From a biblical perspective, the prophet Samuel warned the people of Israel what lies in store for them if they have their wish granted that a king, political ruler, rule over them instead of God. The warning was that the king, political rulers, will take, take, take and tax, tax, tax. Not just a warning to Israel but to the world! Under the guise of altruism man-empowered politics is about power. And that is truly what a career politician like Biden wants. His choice of a woman of “color” has nothing to do, in my view, with equality for women or people of color. I believe, he believes, it was a strategic, political choice to gain power. Rather than do what a true Statesman would do, which would be to choose the most qualified person for VP regardless of gender or color, he bent his knee to the extreme elements of his political party. His agenda is power, not people. That is your answer.
I do fear for our country right now. I do also, however, believe our Constitutional Democratic Republic and Federalist Separation-of-Powers, which are unique in the political world, will sustain our God-given and Constitutionally guaranteed rights and privileges for a while yet. There is an interesting statement attributed to a Scotsman named Alexander Fraser Tytler. He said:”A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the majority discovers it can vote itself largess out of the public treasury. After that, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits with the result the democracy collapses because of the loose fiscal policy ensuing, always to be followed by a dictatorship, then a monarchy”.
I see this happening in our country right now! Just replacing one form of man-made system and human “king” for another; embracing power and self-centeredness. The anarchy, destruction, senseless murders and news accounts showing people looting are symptoms of an eroding culture that is embracing self over others’ and replacing God with idols. Our Constitutional Democratic Republic, “One Nation Under God” is in jeopardy! However, until the man-made systems are replaced by a God-made system we will continue with this upheaval and turmoil in our country and world. And, biblically, we are promised this will happen in God’s timing. Until then we must maintain a measured level of participation in our political system, recognizing the people in power are the people whom God allows to be in power, but knowing this system or those leaders are not where our true hope lies.
Trust in God during these difficult times; turn those within your sphere of influence towards Him. Channel your anger into a positive, others-centered focus. Pray…respond to others with whom you don’t agree; don’t just react in anger. All else is like chasing after the wind. You will never catch it.
I love you Son!
Dad
Michael Rueffert...In the Freedom of Forgiveness... 
Mike, I hope your response was helpful to Aaron, and I hope most of the discussion took place in person. Yours is the first description I have seen that describes the U.S. as a constitutional democratic republic. Because most of our law and policy is accomplished through representation, I would go with a formal definition as constitutional republic, and extend that with a description of our practice of (imperfect) representative democracy, where the will of the majority is achieved with some protection for the minority. I like your phrasing that the republic will hold “for a while.” Evidence for the breakdown you describe, and the moving away from God that catalyzes the disruption, has been in evidence for the entirety of the existence of the country, but more active and overt, it seems to me, since the mid-1900s. Man’s selfishness is unrelenting, and our failure when we depend exclusively on self is inevitable. And that comes from a delusional optimist. Thanks for ending the letter with hope and truth: we do our civic and public duty and count on God to exercise His supreme godness and goodness.
LesColorado Springs
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Thanks Les. Point well taken. I do think the strength in the U.S. form of government is the combination of a democracy, and a republic (representative democracy) tempered by a constitution providing for free elections, restraints on power and protections for the individual. This, I believe, was the original intent of the Founding Fathers beginning with the Articles of Confederation blossoming into the Constitution and made much better with the addition of the Bill of Rights and the other Amendments. This is what many brave men and women have given their lives for. This type of man-made governing may be the best ever established by man, is honorable and should be honored. However, in order for this type of governing to be successful, and honorable, there must trust in the system, the elected representatives and a healthy degree/type of participation by the citizens. Unfortunately there is an erosion taking place with emerging doubts that the electoral process is fair, distrust that the elected representatives are truly representing the people and an unhealthy degree/type of citizen participation (riots rather than peaceful petition). Congress, I believe, now has the lowest approval rating in history. There is the belief that politicians have created their own “elitist democracy” being subject to their own rules and “laws”, privileged, holding a disproportionate amount of wealth and power that was not envisioned by those who elected them. Man loves power. That love for power will be his downfall and the ultimate downfall of all man-made governments.
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