The article below is one of the big reasons that I keep saying that our nation has a leader crisis. We have created a monarchy where position is not based on competency but on who you know (as well as accompanied by an Ivy league resume). You see it with the latest Pentagon selections of under secretary positions, and some other positions chosen by the President (I still feel that he is going to be a good President, but the resumes do look good of those he chose through the revolving doors). So, the mavericks continue to wait on the outside watching the house burn down as Nero plays the fiddle.
Calling Off the Boston Tea Party
Burt Prelutsky
Monday, January 19, 2009
I’m sure that most of us have heard the inspiring story of the Boston Tea Party. At least when I was in school, they were still relating the tale of a handful of American patriots, including Samuel Adams and Paul Revere, who, weary of taxation without representation, dumped large amounts of English tea into Boston Harbor. Well, if I could include time travel among my many talents, I just might go back to 1773 and try to persuade them to reconsider. “Boys,” I’d say to them, “I understand your frustration. But you have no idea what this is going to lead to down the road. I know that King George is as crazy as a loon, but a couple of hundred years from now, your great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandchildren are going to have to answer to Ted Kennedy and John Kerry. Compared to them, King George looks as wise as King Solomon and as congenial as Ben Franklin.”
I mean, when you start adding up what it costs the typical taxpayer to keep councilmen, aldermen, mayors, assemblymen, state senators, governors, congressmen, U.S. senators and the president — not to mention their legions of secretaries, assistants, consultants, pollsters and assorted mistresses — clothed, housed, fed and pensioned, the colonists were getting off dirt cheap. I’d gladly pay a few extra cents for a cup of tea if it meant that these thousands of freeloaders would be forced to leave their cushy fiefdoms and go find honest work.
The bottom line is that taxation without representation is bad, but taxation with representation is worse.
Speaking of politicians, in a letter to the editor, a reader of the New York Times grumbled: “It’s amazing that Andrew Cuomo, who owes his whole career to his dad, may not get the Senate seat of Hillary Rodham Clinton (who owes her whole career to her husband) because David Paterson (who owes his whole career to his dad) may give it to Caroline Kennedy (who owes her whole career to her dad). You would think a state as large as New York could find someone who deserves something on his or her own.”
This merely points out how far America has come in recreating a monarchy of our own. But instead of our kings and queens relying on the European rule of progenitor to inherit their crowns, they have chosen to adopt the Hollywood version, better known as nepotism.
As I sit here, nobody is certain who is going to be the senator from Minnesota. That hasn’t prevented Al Franken from claiming victory with a margin of 225 votes, in spite of the fact that in at least 25 precincts, there were more ballots than voters!
I am of course hoping that Norm Coleman manages to convince the court that it would be embarrassing, to say the least, to have an election decided by ballots miraculously turning up in car trunks and cellars cast by voters whose last known address was the cemetery. At the very least, Chicago would likely sue over copyright infringement.
On the other hand, there’s that devilish little rascal lurking inside me that would like to imagine those other Democratic senators having to put up with the surly, ignorant, arrogant, ill-tempered, unfunny Sen. Franken for the next six years.
Copyright © 2008 Salem Web Network. All Rights Reserved.
I’m reading a book of Mr. Schmidt, who is a very respected ex chancellor and statesman of Western Germany (70’s). The book is about what he learned and includes a part where he describes what young politicians (members of parliament) should know.
According to him I’m apparently quite overqualified and likely better than most of our MPs in these basics, most notably about history.
His expectations could be fulfilled by an interest mid-20’s person, but he made it quite clear that he doesn’t believe the majority of our politicians to have this basic background knowledge and experience.
It’s no wonder that they ignorantly sent troops for garrisoning Afghanistan. It’s also no wonder that they believe that patrolling ships would be effective against piracy (you need to go for the bases, that’s known since 2,200 years!).
Germany is ahead of the USA in one thing, though: Almost no-one becomes rich by serving in our parliaments, even old ministers aren’t richer than middle managers.
“We have created a monarchy where position is not based on competency but on who you know (as well as accompanied by an Ivy league resume).”
Empherical evidence of my own eyes forces me
to agree Don.
Bussiness a usual then ?
However, the problem is this, that the United States
simply cannot afford any more greivous mistakes
or continued abuse of it’s system. None.
The US has been pushed to the brink, with little
or nothing left in reserve.
I used to feel that US scociety, spirit, governance,
the ’system” as a whole, could withstand ANY assault,
any extent of inane leadership, well, the last 8 years proved me wrong.
Clearly it’s about at the brink, the US probably cannot take even one more year of the current prevailing trend.
It’s got to turn around, and turn around now.
That means a lot of change, far more than a new President, or government can bring about.
A lot rests on Americans themselves, they have to demand much better of themselves, and their
representation.
M
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Well, I know actions speak louder than words, but the President’s speech was outstanding! He said a lot of things normally not said, like asking for sacrifice, but also lauded many behind the scenes heros.
Don
Hi Don.
Between FM’s post on the growth of governmental positions, and this, I find myself in quite a gloomy mood today.
I always though America was supposed to be a meritocracy, or something close to it. We have turned our political leadership positions into oligarchies, with special interest lobbying providing the venture capital into these positions. They seemed to be manned by generations of families who have been utterly incompetent at anything other than providing “leadership” over the last 50 years that has bled the treasury dry.
I look forward to watching the additional bail-outs come from the new administration. Those lads on Wall St fund the special interest lobbyists you know.
I’ve been battling a strange sense of ennui lately. I suspect I am not the only individual feeling this way.
Hope all is well.
Ski
It’s funny you say that about Al Franken.
I know a guy who grew up on the same street as Franken in Minnesota. He says Franken was the nastiest, meanest SOB he’s ever met in his entire life.
yes, I was shocked by FM post on government employment. I should not have been given what I have researched in the last few years. Somehow, peacefully, citizens need to take back their government and run it at the local level.
Don