This is the whole of the thing that matters today:
“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”
—Theodore Roosevelt
Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910
I think that deserves some thoughtful consideration as we contemplate the caliber of the Citizens in this State who are standing up not just for public office but for the very highest office in the land. If you watch this clip then ask yourself, where are the Citizens of the State that you would find equal to the task they are seeking to take on? Why aren't those people running for Senator? Do such even exist?
I have to admit, the Senate never impressed me very much since it was largely a body of tools and scum but I always had the sense that there were some people there who would belong in a really important branch of our government who had the skills, education, background, gumption and integrity to make this the best possible country for its citizens. Not the best in the world, just a nice place where Americans could be born, educated, work, live, raise a family, aspire and leave their families and their country better off when they moved on.
I'm afraid CSPAN dashed my hopes for that pretty thoroughly although I suppose if I was a stupid moron I wouldn't mind having so many stupid morons running and working in the Senate. All I can say about these four candidates for Maine is that I am sure that the Machine cannot wait to get their hooks into them and have them toe the line for the rest of their lives. And yes, they amaze me.
7 comments:
The political Machine already has it's hooks in each of them.
Just giving the illusion of "CHOICE" to vote for.
Frank Zappa:
“The illusion of freedom will continue as long as it's profitable to continue the illusion. At the point where the illusion becomes too expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtains, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theater.”
Politics tends to draw the morally bankrupt, the incompetent, the easily corrupted. Normal productive people aren't generally interested in the insanity of political life. Thus electing those who actively SEEK power insures we get the worst people with the least and poorest qualifications. Or current system is designed to fail. We need a different one that selects for competence, not the desire for power and control.
I suggest a simpler way.
Currently you get selected for Jury duty. You cannot be on it if you're not a legal citizen, you cannot be a felon.
So now you get a letter saying you have been selected for Senator or your state. You'll get paid (current statutory annual salary for a rank‑and‑file U.S. senator is $174,000) 150K and be provided a decent house OR what you would earn working your normal job whatever you choose.
If you desire after a two year hitch to ask to be Elected to the job for ONE more 2 year hitch, then we will see IF the People thought you did a good job.
BTW as a Public Employee all your finances and investments are PUBLIC information. If you annoy your states people too much they can recall you and put you on trial for corruption.
Removing professional politicians from the system, and emplacing AVERAGE American's in that role cannot do much more damage than the current mess.
Good Idea Michael except you can't fix stupid and the usual character faults. The best government is none or as little as possible. Try free market gov - hire & fire managers by cutting off their money like crowd funding.
If you are not passionate about your beliefs and desires I guarantee you that some other person with more passion will sink yours in order to bring his into reality. You cannot have disinterested government and you cannot let people who are too passionate run amok. It's a balance, as is everything in life.
Friend, you clearly haven't been in spirited New England town meetings.
The "passionate" bully boys get smothered with common sense around here.
Could perhaps add that old Greek thing that any NEW LAW enacted would be reviewed and the sponsor of the law if it was deemed harmful was killed in the public square as the law as deemed VOID.
For Judges, I'd add public review of the results of his work every time a "Pardoned" troublemaker acts out again. Flogging might be in order.
Would make for very local values Judgements I suspect.
I have been to and lived in New England. My locations and such were probably the exception and not the rule. What NE unquestionably has going for it is that it is desperately poor and unpopulated. On the other hand, neither of those is really a function of governance. It reflects the ease of being able to go someplace better, nicer, more suitable. It is blessed with an absence of grifters in government mostly because it is too poor to offer them much scope for the kinds of things they need/love like railroads, subways, unions, It is as you said, too small, too local and in touch with its own realities. You see that when you drive by places like Lake Placid, Killington et all and contrast them with Colorado. You could put a New Englander from 150 years ago right back into h is current community and he would be right at home. It is stasis which is not a bad thing because it is not the only thing. If you don't like it, you can leave.
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