It’s said that some topics should be avoided at family parties and church gatherings…Uncle John’s time spent as a “guest of the State”, Aunt Jane’s “passion for food”, that strange growth on Pastor Bill’s neck, Cousin Jeff’s “special friend” Steve, and, perhaps most potentially explosive of all…Brother-in-law Dave’s unflinching loyalty to Rush Limbaugh (“Shhh”, Sister Sadie inevitably whispers, “please don’t get him started!”).
Few topics have the potential for making people more uncomfortable than politics. Conservative or liberal, radical, reactionary or somewhere in between, those who feel passionate about politics are usually far more interested in persuading others to their viewpoint than maintaining a fully open mind in the off chance they might actually learn something new themselves and just perhaps be persuaded to another point of view.
That’s, I think, as it should be…the passionate aspect, not that of being less than fully open-minded. It is fitting that some in our society become so deeply involved…so thoroughly engaged…so personally invested in what they understand politics to be and to mean that they could discuss, debate and argue the topic tirelessly and then happily dream about it later after they go to sleep.
Such people are generally extremely bright and more often than not can be found running political campaigns (such as LBPOST Columnist Randy Terrell) or organizing, hosting and participating in political forums and debates (such as Michael Clements, inventor and host of the L.B. Junior Chamber’s monthly “Beer & Politics” forums).
For those who love debate, politics represents endless fodder for consideration…endless grist for the intellectual mill. For many who aspire to elected positions in government, politics is to be embraced and mastered. For considerably fewer such aspirants, however…those who truly desire to serve others rather than themselves for instance…politics is to elected office as purgatory is to heaven, something to be suffered through, so that one’s ultimate and loftier goal of public service might finally be reached.
For me, governmental politics is a necessary evil. It’s the “means” that, for good or ill, we as a free people have devised to help our society to reach the “end” of self-government. It’s the portal through which we must necessarily pass to enter elected public life or to seek and achieve the passage of a new law, policy or program; it’s the sometimes vicious gauntlet that candidates must run to win elected office and it is the power an elected official, once in office, must wield, and deftly, to remain there.
For me, the good and beneficial aspects of politics are far outweighed by the ill and harmful aspects. While the responsible and benevolent application of politics can help us to achieve very great good in our society, the irresponsible and malicious abuse of politics can prove harmful, even corrosive, to our overall goal of responsible self-government. Sad to say, the latter is far more prevalent than the former and it’s that very irresponsible, malicious, harmful and corrosive aspect of politics that prompted President Ronald Reagan to offer the half-joking observation from which I crafted this articles title:
“Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first”
In referencing President Reagan’s quote I am by no means either asserting or implying that *all* politicians behave like prostitutes. Nor are all politicians necessarily elected or appointed officials.
Some politicians, however; in Long Beach, in California and elsewhere in the United States most certainly appear, at least by their various actions and inactions, to be more than just a little confused as to which profession they seek to pursue.
How does this unfortunate circumstance impact our liberty? Just so:
When the electorate fails to vote, or fails to vote responsibly, the more confused sorts of persons tend to be elected and appointed. Those confused persons, in turn, tend to make decisions and commit acts (both of commission and omission) that tend to be more self-serving than electorate-serving. Such actions, in turn, have a corrosive effect upon our liberty.
Likewise when this circumstance occurs and an inattentive or apathetic electorate fails to note it or to exert its Constitutional authority and do anything constructive to correct it, the circumstance persists and our liberty is thereby corroded further still.
Thus it is we, The People, as represented by a majority of the electorate and constrained by Constitutional law, who are ultimately responsible for governmental and public policy circumstances and decisions that have corrosive effects upon our liberty.
Are you unhappy with the way things are going in Long Beach, Sacramento or in Washington D.C., my friends? First; take a good, long look in the mirror. After that, start taking some personal responsibility for communicating effectively with your elected and appointed officials; for monitoring your government more closely and for imposing reasonable consequences upon our government representatives when they fail to serve us as we direct and, lastly, start making better informed decisions during…
Every…
Single…
Election.
I very much welcome your questions and your comments.