De Officiis
By Christopher A. Etienne
Christopher A. Etienne
The role of our government continues to be a national debate that has created political polarization amongst the American public. And yet, while our views may be different, we can disagree without being disagreeable. U.S. President Abraham Lincoln in his 1854 address entitled, Fragments on Government, pontificated his political and philosophical views on the role of government. President Lincoln eloquently argued, “The Legitimate object of government, is to do for a community of people, whatever they need to have done, but can not do, at all, or can not, so well do, for themselves – in their separate, and individual capacities.” Indeed, it is a simple statement, but it is also a statement that carries the substance of the distilled truth of the functions of government. President Lincoln had a keen understanding of our individual rights and responsibilities as citizens. But he also understood something else. There are certain things we can do independently. There are certain things we can do interdependently. And there are certain things only a government can do to inspire service in the public interest. As to the conclusions the reader may reach, I leave that to their own judgement.
It is a fact that jumps to the eye for the reason that we shall have some stubborn and strenuous seasons ahead because of the present premeditated poverty, illiteracy, and political oppression placed on the people that is creating a new lexicon of injustice. However, do not be afraid, and do not allow fear or division to develop a mentality of hopelessness. Our country has gone through tumultuous and turbulent times before – the American Revolution of the 1770s, the Civil War of the 1860s, the Great Depression of the 1930s, and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, to name just a few. And yet, with a stubborn hope, “It is precisely in those times that we rebuilt, retooled, and recaptured the ingenuity and resilience that makes this Nation so great. That’s how our [leaders of moral courage] built the first American century. That’s how we will build the next,” U.S. President Barack Obama said in 2010. As a result, this is a temporal test of our democracy, not an eternal eradication of our democracy. None of the situations we face are insurmountable to handle. In the classical language of Pindar, the Ancient Greek poet, declares, “With God’s help may I still love what is beautiful and strive for what is attainable.” The still point of the turning world.
The situations facing some of our rural, urban, and suburban communities in America do not result from a lack of ideas, but a lack of consistent governmental executive support to implement the ideas. There is always a consistent and constant conversation about the federal, state, and local levels of government budget deficit, instead of the empathy deficit – the ability to see the world through the eyes of another objectively. As a result, there must be a continued focus in investments on our youth and families. This includes a world-class education, mental health care, summer jobs, and opportunities for our youth to grow and develop. It also means investing in their parents, making sure that they have affordable housing, increasing incomes, and jobs, and enhancing the quality of life for the most vulnerable in our country, to name just a few. To be clear. It is the deep-seated belief that democracy transformed from theoretical promises into observable results is the greatest form of government on earth. What makes our country great is not our wealth, but the public service we render to the commonwealth.
Rev. Dr. Martin L. King Jr. in 1949 through his Crozer Theological Seminary readings of justice and injustice in society, declared, “Man is not made for the state; the state is made for man. To deprive man of freedom is to relegate him to the status of a thing, rather than elevate him to the status of a person. Man must never be treated as a means to the end of the state, but always as an end within himself.” How true that is.
In the language of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s First Inaugural Address in 1953, arguing, “We are summoned to act in wisdom and in conscience, to work with industry, to teach with persuasion, to preach with conviction, to weigh our every deed with care and with compassion. For this truth must be clear before us: whatever America hopes to bring to pass in the world must first come to pass in the heart of America.” How true that is. That is our purpose at this moment in history. We will be remembered for what we choose to make of this moment in history. Let us be the generation that begins that work.
Christopher A. Etienne Biographical Sketch
Christopher A. Etienne’s public service ethos is inspired and instructed by his parents and community in New Orleans. His upbringing, formal education, and professional experiences provided him with a worldview that ordinary people can do extraordinary things when they’re given an equal and equitable opportunity. Previously, he served as a Legislative Aide to U.S. Representative Cedric L. Richmond and U.S. Senator Mary L. Landrieu, both of Louisiana, and U.S. Representative Jahana Hayes of Connecticut. He earned his master's degree in political science from Howard University in Washington, D.C. and earned his bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB), two prestigious historically Black universities (HBCUs). For his leadership in public service, he was named a Fellow of the Institute of Politics at Loyola University New Orleans (IOP) and named to the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute (NORLI).