We the government: repairing the rift between citizen and state.(Progressivism & The Presidency)

WHEN WE RECALL THE NOW FAMOUS INCANTATION, "ASK not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country," we focus on its content: John F. Kennedy invited Americans to become active participants in, rather than passive recipients of, American democracy. But the word that stands out for me is the personal pronoun "your." How different JFK's message would have been had he exhorted Americans to ask what they can do for "the" country. In the word "your" resides the personal connection between citizens and nation that has broken ...