Politics is an ethics-killer

(Forgive the long bout of silence. I needed to recharge batteries ... and they are at full capacity now.)


What is about politics that turns one-time reasonable men and women into blithering idiots?

Being generous, it can be said that at one time or another, a majority of the U.S. congresspersons were honest, caring individuals who truly wanted to serve the country they call home.

Well, maybe not a majority exactly, but a hefty number. If not a hefty number, then, surely, more than a handful.

The point is that politics turns politicians into a different species entirely. Where once stood an honorable man or woman, after a few terms in Washington-on-the-Deficit, honesty is replace by avarice, greed trumps common sense, and political paybacks become a lifestyle choice.

It dawned on me one day I can not remember a single congressperson who didn’t come back from “serving” his or her country with more money in the bank than the amount they had when they were elected. How is that possible without cutting fiscal corners, getting kickbacks, being privy to insider information and getting better-than-possible deals from money-makers and economic corner-cutters?

Getting free haircuts at taxpayer expense is a nice perk … but it doesn’t fill your pockets with lucre.

Face it, you may like your elected representatives, but chances are they are crookeder than a dog’s hind leg and think ethics is a flu strain. Otherwise they wouldn’t do what they do while on the public dole.

Do. You know, spend the country into oblivion and make decisions that positively affect their star status and pocketbook.

Do. You know, like exclude themselves from the Social Security system because it’s not good enough. Here’s a factoid you can take to Sunday School and not be afraid of getting lightning-struck: If federal officials were in the Social Security system, there would be no problem with SS running out of money!

Here’s some more ifs to consider:

If it were mandatory that sons and daughters of elected officials serve in the military, there’re be a heckavu lot more diplomacy and fewer wars.

If members of Congress were subjected to reasonable term limits, like they demanded for the president, there would be more shining examples of public servants doing good works and spending less time on making sure they remained in office until the funeral home makeup artists show up.

If every department and agency in the federal government would cut expenses by 10 percent across-the-board, no one would notice the difference because of gross bloat in the budget. In other words, there’s so much waste in government that cutting the total budget by 10 percent would not make a whit of difference.

If elected officials wanted a balanced budget, there would be one. If they wanted a better, more equitable health care system, there would be one.

If this country went to a flat tax structure with no loopholes for the wealthy, the country would have more than enough money in which to operate every single program now in effect and invent a few new ones.

If the citizens were truly upset about the problems associated with government as it currently operates, most of the elected officials would be ousted summarily from office.

If public servants were not securely in the hip pockets of big corporations, gas would be cheaper, medicine would be less expensive, and insurance companies would pay what they rightfully owe up front and in a timely manner.

None of that will happen. So, guess people who believe in the “ifs” above are just flat-wrong about the problems facing this country and possible solutions.