We now need, more than any time in history, a government that compassionately serves the people. The people have served the government, contributing trillions of dollars in taxes, each person taking upon themselves thousands of dollars in debt as a consequence. The founding concept of our government as being one "of the people, by the people and for the people" has faded over time.

In regards to serving the greatest common good, government policy and programs should be based upon compassion. Compassion is one concept that all major world religions agree upon as being sacred and vital to society's welfare. Compassion means caring for the plight and well-being of others. Jesus, Buddha and Mohammed, as well as the prophets of Judaism all taught of the importance of compassion as the primary measure of exemplary action in the world. Perhaps the most famous example of compassion is the story of the Good Samaritan, as told by Jesus, in response to the question, "Who is my neighbor?".

Most significantly, the man who showed compassion for, and went out of his way to help, the one who had been robbed, beaten and stripped of his clothing was not one of the religious leaders of the day, but an outsider, a non-believer, ostracized by the Jewish community. It was this person Jesus said was the helpless man's true neighbor.

We need to be each other's neighbor, helping those in need, regardless of race, religion, country of origin, or status in society. To me, government policy should be based upon this concept of compassion. This issue was so important to Jesus that he also said, "Unless you havce done it unto the least of these, my brethren, you have not done it unto me." That is, if you do not demonstrate compassion to those who are the weakest and most helpless, you should not call yourselves Christians. I feel this admonishment applies equally to those who would call themselves Muslims or Jews.

Government leaders should ask themselves, "Is what we are proposing now or have enacted in the past going to help those in need, especially those in greatest need?" If not, it should be modified or discarded. Too much of what has been happening and being enacted lately seems to be benefitting mostly the wealthy and only indirectly the poor or poorest among us, those who have lost their jobs, homes, health benefits, ability to put their children through school, and other means to provide for themselves and their families.

All this is happening while corporations queue up for loans or handouts from the US Treasury, asking for billions of dollars that have largely come from the hard work of common people who are most in need of help right now.

Perhaps if our government leaders kept the concept of compassion foremost in their minds they would more clearly see what is most important right now: helping the people who have been robbed by corporations that moved their jobs overseas or declared bankruptcy after their workers faithfully made them wealthy, or are beaten up trying to make ends meet, working two or more low-paying jobs, and now, with the downturn in the economy, left abandoned alongside the road of life.

Compassion is like a lens that brings into focus what the real issues are, where the real problems lie, and what we should be doing as a nation to help those in greatest need. Compassion restores our own humanity and dignity, and will restore our government's essential dignity, value and integrity in the eyes of the citizens it is sworn to protect and serve. It will also restore faith, hope and confidence in the eyes of the world in the United States of America, the land where it will become known again the government truly cares about its people, especially those most in need.