Us or them: which is government? by St. Olaf Regent Peter Rogness

Here's the op/ed piece where St. Olaf regent, Bishop Peter Rogness (ELCA St. Paul Area Synod) thinks through some issues we touched on in class today and will keep thinking about.  He even mentions Lincoln's speech. 

• Grammar matters: the United States of America ARE or IS?  Is the nation unified into a single entity or are the states the primary unit?  What holds those political units together?  And how closely?
• And attitude matters: how do we regard the government, the officials we're elected and the folks on the payroll of cities, counties, states, and the nation?  Are they us?  Or, are they our allies?  Or, are they our enemies?  What is the ideal?  What the reality?  

 Important questions for us to be thinking about as we consider Democratic Vistas, "of, by, and for the people."