by JB McCuskey
Where do we go from here?
Our country is very clearly at a tipping point. The events of the last month have shown that we, in many ways, have lost our collective ethos as Americans. Our divisions have overcome our unity. Our judgment of others has overcome our compassion for their struggle. Our anger has overcome our love.
This can be seen in so many places, images and actions throughout the last year. But this op-ed is not designed to rehash the past; we need a pathway forward.
There is no obvious reason why our country is where it is, but it is clear that many Americans feel unheard. They feel removed from the process. Importantly, they feel denigrated by those with whom they disagree.
To me, our nation and state are best when the government is the servant of the people and the people take pride in their government. As we know, service entails responsibility and hard work. We lost our way when this paradigm was reversed. There is no one person, one ideal or one magic solution that fixes our problems. The greatest attribute of American exceptionalism is that we take the hard path, we tackle the enormous problems, we support each other and we respect our collective worth.
I was raised by my parents, two public servants, who were both Republicans in West Virginia long before it was cool. I watched as they both tried to instill and impart the values of conservatism to a group of people who looked upon them skeptically. I watched my dad lose election after election, but do so with grace, sportsmanship and dignity. I watched my mom fight legislative battle after legislative battle, in a way that shaped the debate, moved the needle and generated lasting relationships. I know that their fight, their losses and, importantly, their processes paved the way to where we are today in West Virginia.
Those experiences have shaped my views on life, and politics. We must seek out opinions of those we disagree, we must start every disagreement from a place of common respect, but most of all, we must remain steadfast with a core set of principles to guide our actions.
I have spent the last eight years of my life as a public servant trying to create a government that is as responsive to the people as possible. It is my firmest belief that government must be owned by its citizens. To accomplish this, government must adhere to three core principles: Responsiveness, accountability and transparency. These three tools empower people to mold and shape their government into something they trust, respect and own. And when people take ownership of their government, they will no longer denigrate it or their fellow Americans.
It is my greatest honor to have been selected by my fellow citizens to help lead them. My second term starts this month and I will continue my fight for the people of West Virginia.
I fight for a government that sees every single dollar it spends as what it is — owned by the people. I fight for a government that listens to those who feel unheard. I fight for people to value, trust and respect each other. I will continue to fight for a tomorrow that learns from our past and rebuilds our collective belief that we are part of the greatest nation and that our ability to weave our differences into collective action are what make that statement forever true.
JB McCuskey is the state auditor of West Virginia.
