Whistleblowers a boon to our society

Dana L. Stern Sr., Canyon Country, Calif.

Thursday, May 21, 2015 | 5:54 p.m.

We have a responsibility to ourselves and our children to be responsible citizens. I’m not talking about obeying laws and caring about the welfare of our neighbors, as I hope we all do. I’m talking about a higher level of responsibility.

We must be aware of what the local, state and federal government is doing. We have the right of dissent; we can contact government representatives with issues that need to be redressed. We must question those who abuse power entrusted to them.

Many times those entrusted with power to govern us abuse it without being noticed for long periods. Sometimes they are never caught! These are the most costly of circumstances for our democracy and imperil our democracy.

Whistleblowers are all too often punished by those they expose. Whistleblowers are the bravest of individuals in our society. We must all look to be whistleblowers when no one else steps forward. Being a whistleblower doesn’t mean giving the information to enemies of our country. It means carefully — and sometimes with the help of an attorney or law enforcement representative — presenting facts to the proper authorities.

Graft and corruption abound in our democracy, I’m sorry to say. We cannot afford to live in a bubble, leaving the responsibility of citizenship to others. All of us to the best of our abilities must be vigilant and stand up for what is right and report that which is wrong!