This is My Promise

I often wonder about promises. So many of us make them every day to either ourselves or to others, it’s those simple words “This is my promise” that leaves hope in our hearts.  Either it is a wedding vow, a loan, mortgage, or some other type of agreement; is there really a cut off as to how many promises we are allowed to make? Promises are an assurance that something will happen. It’s a pledge to someone or something, but also, it’s a declaration. In government these promises mean risks. But what I’ve learned is that there are consequences for not keeping promises in other parts of the world.

In England, where almost all power resides in the office of the Prime Minister, voters know where to put blame for broken promises. In elections such as that in the United States, where power is more diffused; ultimately the responsibility is harder to pin down. It is harder for an electorate to punish politicians for broken promises.  

Promises in the big picture of government means ownership; an oath. Our Declaration of Independence was a promise for history to be redeemed and woven into what are known as constitutional stories or memories; to bind us together as a people. A promise can mean everything. It is a claim for the generations before us and for generations after us. When promises are broken, saying sorry means nothing. “Years ago, fairy tales all began with Once upon a time... now we know they all begin with, If I am elected.” – Carolyn Warner
 Th