The government will let you down. Any government, but especially ours in the United States. It’s nothing new.
Mark Twain was insightful (or observant) enough to say, “Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress, but I repeat myself.” True then, true now.
Most of you reading this have had to prove yourselves to get your job and to retain it. If you hold positions in accounting or engineering or law or medicine or finance, there are exams you have to pass to practice your profession… honorably, at least.
Objective proof
Contractors have to be licensed in most states, and electricians and plumbers have to be in many. Great chefs train in the kitchens of other great chefs or get diplomas from culinary schools. Law enforcement, emergency service, and firefighting personnel almost always have to demonstrate their aptitude after training for their jobs. Teachers? Absolutely.
Politicians? Nope. They don’t have to prove any qualifications to anyone. There’s something wrong with that.
Unfamiliar territory
The current situation in this country involves elected officials who are not intimately (or even casually) familiar with the Constitution, the separation of powers, or the role of the three branches of government. They seem to consider that laws they don’t like don’t deserve to be enforced… unless it might harm someone they don’t like.
Imagine if an accountant ignored the Internal Revenue Code and told you that only idiots pay taxes. Think about whether you want to have spine surgery performed by a pipe fitter instead of an orthopedic surgeon because they both understand structural stability. Consider whether a court stenographer is a suitable choice to initiate a lawsuit against a supplier suspected of fraud on a global scale.
Not interested? Good.
Inmates who run the asylum
So why, if government legislation and regulations affect so many aspects of your business and your life, aren’t there any minimum requirements for holding elective office or being appointed to a public one. Shouldn’t those people be credentialed or, at the very least, be able to pass the test that applicants for citizenship must pass?
Shouldn’t they demonstrate familiarity with economics, history, trade, diplomacy, the justice system, education, employment, environmental science, and any other discipline they’ll be in charge of directing or overseeing?
Your life is on the line; pick up
That doesn’t seem to be asking for much when those individuals will be making decisions that affect your livelihood and wellbeing. And it doesn’t seem to be asking for much when, because truth-in-advertising laws don’t cover political advertising, candidates tend to… what’s the word… lie. They make outlandish statements about what they will do, can do, and for whom. So back to Sam Clemens: “We have the best government that money can buy.”
I don’t think we’re getting our money’s worth. Lobbyists, I’m sure, would disagree.
Mark Twain was insightful (or observant) enough to say, “Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress, but I repeat myself.” True then, true now.
Most of you reading this have had to prove yourselves to get your job and to retain it. If you hold positions in accounting or engineering or law or medicine or finance, there are exams you have to pass to practice your profession… honorably, at least.
Objective proof
Contractors have to be licensed in most states, and electricians and plumbers have to be in many. Great chefs train in the kitchens of other great chefs or get diplomas from culinary schools. Law enforcement, emergency service, and firefighting personnel almost always have to demonstrate their aptitude after training for their jobs. Teachers? Absolutely.
Politicians? Nope. They don’t have to prove any qualifications to anyone. There’s something wrong with that.
Unfamiliar territory
The current situation in this country involves elected officials who are not intimately (or even casually) familiar with the Constitution, the separation of powers, or the role of the three branches of government. They seem to consider that laws they don’t like don’t deserve to be enforced… unless it might harm someone they don’t like.
Imagine if an accountant ignored the Internal Revenue Code and told you that only idiots pay taxes. Think about whether you want to have spine surgery performed by a pipe fitter instead of an orthopedic surgeon because they both understand structural stability. Consider whether a court stenographer is a suitable choice to initiate a lawsuit against a supplier suspected of fraud on a global scale.
Not interested? Good.
Inmates who run the asylum
So why, if government legislation and regulations affect so many aspects of your business and your life, aren’t there any minimum requirements for holding elective office or being appointed to a public one. Shouldn’t those people be credentialed or, at the very least, be able to pass the test that applicants for citizenship must pass?
Shouldn’t they demonstrate familiarity with economics, history, trade, diplomacy, the justice system, education, employment, environmental science, and any other discipline they’ll be in charge of directing or overseeing?
Your life is on the line; pick up
That doesn’t seem to be asking for much when those individuals will be making decisions that affect your livelihood and wellbeing. And it doesn’t seem to be asking for much when, because truth-in-advertising laws don’t cover political advertising, candidates tend to… what’s the word… lie. They make outlandish statements about what they will do, can do, and for whom. So back to Sam Clemens: “We have the best government that money can buy.”
I don’t think we’re getting our money’s worth. Lobbyists, I’m sure, would disagree.
RSS Feed