Pearls: Self-serving politicians are a problem
EDITORIAL MUG: Matt Pearl
We’re going to have to start seeking the positives in our civilization. If we fail to do so, I fear we will have very few civilized moments left to celebrate after a few more years of this.
Why can’t societies stop zooming too far in and too far out?
It seems so often our people are zoomed in as closely as we can be: every individual seems hyper-focused upon his or her particular situation: Am I getting my share? Is society reflecting what I want?
On the other hand, we’re also so zoomed out that we make mountains out of every possible molehill: If it’s happening here, it’s happening everywhere. This one negative news story shows that the world is ending soon.
Are we so foolish? Have we not read our history books? I have some thoughts on that issue.
Who knows what a history book is anymore? Who gets to write history? To tell it? What about the reader? Can he or she feel assured that the book is accurate?
Regardless of who is telling which account of human history, a recurring pattern seems to be that, when a civilization reaches the height of its self-indulgence, when it becomes so focused upon the implications and fairness of everything, that it becomes time for a crisis.
I hope we’re not reaching such a place, but I fear that we could be. Our leadership in Washington has shown itself to be the most self-interested assortment of humanity most of us could possibly imagine. We have public servants serving only themselves and their interests. We have representatives who stand for causes and agendas, rather than for groups of citizens in their electorate.
What Washington has become is what Jefferson City might later digress into being. And our county seats, and all local seats of government. Or perhaps, I’m zooming in and out too frantically. Forgive me.
Yes, our nation is beginning to show the behavior I have traditionally connected with that of a misbehaving child. In my family, the parents had ways to deal with such bratty displays.
We the people are the masters in this nation, se we find ourselves thrust into the parental role: our misbehaving sons and daughters in Washington need to be scolded. Well, I can’t put them in ‘time-out,’ and I certainly can’t give them all swats on the backside – nor would I if I could.
No, this calls for another form of discipline – the type my dad and mom used to give when I got too self-centered, bored or any such self-indulgent behavior:
We can put them to work.
It should be hard to be a member of Congress. They should work hard. They should be held to enormously difficult standards. They’re the best of the best, right? They have elevated themselves to an elite class of Americans, a body of folks so excellent that many laws of the land don’t even apply to them. Time to pay up, Washington.
Tell them what you expect, give them all a term to get it done and see how it goes. If they fail, fire them. If schools can dispose of coaches every couple of years, why can’t we switch out members of the House so frequently? Senators have six years in their terms – that’s one and a half presidential terms. Plenty of time to effect meaningful change.
Now before we turn all the discipline loose on our leaders, let’s remember that we need to hold ourselves accountable, too. Stop voting for individuals who are not effective just because they fall closest to the agenda you like. Use primaries to weed out the weak ones, and them stick to the highest standard in the general elections that follow.
The end of suffering this self-indulgent body of ‘leaders’ is in your hands and in mine. There’s no revolution needed, folks: just a more disciplined approach to voting and a higher set of standards on each of our parts.
Matt Pearl owns and operates The Tri-County Ledger.
