Foundation offers hope for new approach to sound government
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Foundation offers hope for new approach to sound government
Governmental shortcomings can be a murky matter, offering a perfect case study for the sometimes-complicated ramifications of attempting to do a measure of good in a decidedly imperfect way.
Take, for example, the continuing fallout from the devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake that rocked parts of southern Turkey and northern Syria on February 6, a seismic event that has caused a combined death toll of more than 40,000 in the neighboring countries and left hundreds of thousands homeless in a humanitarian tragedy that grows grimmer by the day.
According to published reports, many of the newer buildings constructed in the earthquake-prone zone were poorly designed and were made of substandard materials, fueling a domino-like catastrophe that engineering experts believe could have been prevented had stricter building codes been enforced. As one Turkish engineering expert said, “We draft the laws well, but we do not implement them.”
The principal reason, of course, is money and the considerable governmental and private business expense involved in enacting compliance procedures in a country longing for affordable housing options.
A similar blame game was on full display in Surfside, Fla. in June 2021 when a 12-story beachfront condominium complex collapsed, killing nearly 100 residents and prompting a flood of questions about delayed maintenance procedures and structural complications that could threaten scores of other high-rise housing developments along the affluent Florida coast.
The two tragedies, both of which took place without warning in the early morning hours, serve as prime examples of the deadly cost of lax oversight and inadequate enforcement, underscoring the importance of having good people in leadership roles at every level of government.
Good government, not surprisingly, is a byproduct of good ideas implemented by capable and committed leaders who have the moral fortitude to serve the public in an honest and even-handed way.
Ideally, they are among our best and brightest and display a type of character that is not influenced by bias, hatred, greed, or self-interest.
The moral equivalent of those standards will help ensure the future of our representative democracy, which has been the model for free societies around the globe for more than two centuries.
Last year, when we unveiled plans to create the Primerus™ Foundation, we did so with a central purpose in mind – to promote the cause of “good government by good people” in countries throughout the world.
The effort would stand in stark contrast to the failed autocratic regime in Russia, which for more than a century has been run on a dictatorial platform that has used aggression, repression, and political corruption as the primary weapons in a misguided quest for world dominance.
Evidence of the grief Russia continues to spread has played out daily across neighboring Ukraine for the past year during an invasion that seemingly has no end.
Closer to home, we have set in motion plans to elevate the standards of the American political profession through a nonpartisan approach to problem-solving, working to build cooperation and consensus where confusion and chaos now reign in a Congress marked by stalemate.
The task begins by attracting candidates of high character to run for public office, supporting those of competence from both sides of the political aisle who promise to put service above self for the overall good of the country.
Our goal is to attract widespread financial support by building a model of good government that can bridge political gaps that currently are widening with each passing day.
The challenge we face is great, but the cause is far greater in ensuring peace, liberty, and freedom for generations to come.
Best regards,
Jack Buchanan, President