As I posted over on the opinion page from earlier today...
"No disrespect meant, all_sides, but perhaps I was being too facile with my remarks.
My point is not that there isn't anyone anywhere in American government who performs their job honestly and professionally, even outstandingly. Many government employees do and are to be commended. This good work, however, in no way lessens the public's right and obligation to watch over the actions of government officials and their minions as they discharge the public trust. This watchfulness, even distrust if you will, is essential to American governance, I think, and an obligation that seems to have recently withered a bit on the vine. The Columbian somewhat sadly acknowledges that our trust must now even be backed up by a constitutional amendment, as we can no longer trust our elected representatives to follow the law.
We live in an era when, as Wikileaks and others work demonstrates every week, it is clearer than ever that many in government and business operate in ways arguably not only not in the public's interest, but actively against it, especially financially, during the ongoing bursting of this, the largest economic bubble of all time. And its not just the feds, as the Columbian notes here, even the Washington State Legislature has "routinely waived rules and often voted on bills the same day details were made available to the public."
No doubt, a spokesperson somewhere stepped up to tell us this was "in the public's best interests."
IMO, this was lawless and an abomination of our representative democracy and I think it reasonable to trust that the language in our law which holds to "Require" and "Prohibit" certain behaviors of governmental officials is a stronger advocacy for our best interests than the goodwill of any public servant."
As I posted over on the opinion page from earlier today...
"No disrespect meant, all_sides, but perhaps I was being too facile with my remarks.
My point is not that there isn't anyone anywhere in American government who performs their job honestly and professionally, even outstandingly. Many government employees do and are to be commended. This good work, however, in no way lessens the public's right and obligation to watch over the actions of government officials and their minions as they discharge the public trust. This watchfulness, even distrust if you will, is essential to American governance, I think, and an obligation that seems to have recently withered a bit on the vine. The Columbian somewhat sadly acknowledges that our trust must now even be backed up by a constitutional amendment, as we can no longer trust our elected representatives to follow the law.
We live in an era when, as Wikileaks and others work demonstrates every week, it is clearer than ever that many in government and business operate in ways arguably not only not in the public's interest, but actively against it, especially financially, during the ongoing bursting of this, the largest economic bubble of all time. And its not just the feds, as the Columbian notes here, even the Washington State Legislature has "routinely waived rules and often voted on bills the same day details were made available to the public."
No doubt, a spokesperson somewhere stepped up to tell us this was "in the public's best interests."
IMO, this was lawless and an abomination of our representative democracy and I think it reasonable to trust that the language in our law which holds to "Require" and "Prohibit" certain behaviors of governmental officials is a stronger advocacy for our best interests than the goodwill of any public servant."
Lucretius — January 18, 2011 at 12:47 a.m. ( reply | permalink | suggest removal )