Take accountability seriously

Carrie Chin
Photography Editor

"They're out of touch," someone complains to me. "They're up there making decisions without even listening to their constituents."

"All they care about is keeping themselves in office."

"They just voted themselves a bigger salary. Can you believe that?"

Yes, I can.

In his Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln spoke of "government of the people, by the people, for the people." Lately, however, government has only been "by the people who bother to vote" or "by the people who have nothing better to do but vote."

It's one thing to keep up with what goes on in Congress, but if your involvement begins and ends with a quick scan of the morning newspaper, then you've helped bring this spate of bad government upon yourself. Having and keeping responsive, responsible politicians in office requires that you keep tabs on them. And if you don't hold their feet to the fire every now and then, and make sure you voice your opinions, then how are our elected officials to know if they're doing their jobs? Swap out "government" for "public schools" in order to get a closer-to-home example. Ultimately, parents are responsible for their children's education. Millions of parents entrust their children to the public school systems of America, only to find later on that academic and social skills are on the decline. We already know that pumping dollars into our schools is no simple cure. Parents sometimes neglect the simplest way to ensure that their children are receiving a quality education: make teachers and administrators aware that you've got high expectations.

Back at the ranch, Tech students often forget that they live and study in the heart of one of the most violent cities in the country. Attempts by campus planners and administrators to improve the safety of the Georgia Tech community have been token at best. The recent rise in pedestrian injuries on campus roads has been met with many ideas and much discussion, but little tangible action has been taken. The itty bitty "yield to pedestrians" sign on Ferst Drive at McMillan Street isn't going to do much. Bicyclists and drivers spew their venom on git.general, but I would wager that actual constructive comments are few in number.

Letters come to my post office box late, mangled, opened (as in the case of a couple of brochures), or not at all. Friends and classmates describe similar experiences—Social Security cards, checks, bills, and tax forms lost in the mail. Small wonder that I now have important letters sent to my home. Why we insist on tolerating such poor service puzzles me. Perhaps it's because we've grown too complacent. Perhaps we don't care. We've come to expect it. After all, it's the only game in town. There's no other alternative to the postal service.

An example from our neighbors to the north: By 1981, deficits incurred by the inefficient and unreliable Canadian postal service had reached over $400 million. Realizing this, the Canadian government incorporated the postal service into the Canada Post Corporation, in effect making the government entity into a money making business with the Canadian government as its majority shareholder. Since the takeover, the CPC has posted profits of up to $100 million, and service has improved dramatically.

This semi-privatization happened because Canadians were unhappy with the state of the country's postal service and made sure their government knew about it. Would any of that have come about if the people had just kept quiet about it? Of course not.

Simple complaining is not enough. If we want to enact real and lasting change—whether it's a controlled pedestrian crossing on Ferst Drive, or improved mail delivery at the post office—constructive criticism directed towards the right people is the only way to make things happen. Remain apathetic, and legislators won't hear you. The only ones they'll hear are the ones with the political muscle. Speak up and the country will return to its citizens.

Accountability is the key. And the key is in our hands.

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