OPINION: Who’s In the Saddle—Voters, Churches, or Billionaires?
The levers of democracy are still in the hands of the people; people simply need to start using them.
By Phil Huber
GUEST COLUMNIST
Fredericksburg was added to the U.S. Civil Rights Trail in 2024, honoring local churches and citizens who pushed this region closer to its own promise. That recognition carries a question with it: after all that struggle, who is in the saddle today—voters in towns like ours, or powerful factions far from here?
I don’t think most Americans are imagining it. It feels like someone else is steering our democracy—and they are.
Certain churches, courts, and billionaires are all trying to “ride” the government. Each claims to speak for something bigger than the rest of us: God, the Bible, the Constitution, “the market.” Each uses that claim to justify locking in their power.
We see it when Christian‑nationalist leaders say “real Christians” must vote for one party, as if centuries of disagreement inside Christianity never happened. We see it when judges insist that only their reading of the Constitution is legitimate, even when it guts voting rights or shields big money in politics. We see it when a tiny group of megadonors quietly bankroll campaigns and super PACs, then gets private access and public policy in return.
The Bible and the Constitution are not the real problem. They can be used to push for justice—or to excuse injustice. The danger comes when a small group gets to decide, without real checks, what those texts mean for everyone else. When interpretations are treated as untouchable, power goes unchallenged.
For a lot of us the problem shows up less as a crisis and more as a steady dull feeling that our voices don’t quite register. We see big arguments playing out over our schools, our rights, and our cost of living, but it’s not always clear how to push back in any useful way. The good news is there are still quiet, practical steps that can tilt a little more weight back toward ordinary voters:
Follow the money and demand sunlight. Make “Who paid for this?” your first question about any political ad or mailer. Support laws and candidates that require full, fast disclosure of who is funding our elections and that close dark‑money loopholes.
Back small‑donor power. Wherever possible, support public‑financing and matching‑fund systems that multiply $10 and $25 contributions, so candidates don’t have to live on billionaires’ checks. Give small, give local, and give to people who clearly reject big‑money capture.
Push back where you actually have standing. In your own congregation or community, say out loud that faith is not a party label and that no one speaks for all believers. In civic spaces, defend the idea that the Constitution belongs to all of us, not just to one court majority.
Vote on the rules, not just the personalities. When you size up candidates, ask not only “Do I like them?” but “Will they fix the rules—money, voting, church–state separation—that decide who gets to be in the saddle next time?”
A city that earned its place on the Civil Rights Trail shouldn’t settle for a future where certain institutions and a micro number of people take turns steering the horse.
We can’t wish away churches, courts, or donors—and we shouldn’t. They all have roles to play. The line we cannot afford to cross is letting any of them ride the rest of us.
In a democracy, the saddle is supposed to belong to the people. The only way we keep it is by using the levers we still have, on purpose, instead of watching from the rail while someone else takes our horse.
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