You see it all the time – advocacy groups and crusaders of all stripes testifying in front of Congress and various state legislatures to drum up support for their particular cause. Whether their purpose is to support their pet issue by arguing for more funds, asking that its funding not be cut, or just bringing some more attention to it, all of these assorted groups and individuals have something in common.
That is, they just can’t imagine any cause being more worthy or more noble than their own. They feel that the cause they are advancing is of the utmost importance, even to the exclusion of many others that are clearly just as vital – in the eyes of any impartial observer.
Ultimately, the advocates who are the most vocal and/or have the most resources to spend to forward their goals usually get the lion’s share of the legislative action. As a result, more important matters are often left by the wayside.
It’s a shame that people have such tunnel vision and that our nation has been splintered off by that kind of factionalism. And why do we have to have such an adversarial system of allocating vital public resources? I doubt that our Founding Fathers envisioned such a thing. They seemed more concerned about the general welfare. I believe we would all be better off if our nation still took its cue from them.
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