I have always been taught that with greater leadership roles comes greater responsibility not more perks and special treatment. This is so hard for many people in today’s society to understand. They feel that once they reach that certain position within the company, achieve a certain rank in the military, or in case of many of our political leaders...get elected to office...that they now have special perks and privileges that allow them to roam free unchained by the laws and regulations of the common man.
Look at the Hollywood elite that seem to live above the law endlessly getting a slap on the wrist for things that the common citizen would do jail time over. Our politicians think they can break the law, take bribes, and operate totally independent of the judicial system with impunity. It has become so reckless on both sides of the aisle one has to think that we need a good house cleaning from top to bottom for both parties.
I am still amazed at the total disconnect many people have when discussing leadership positions. They almost uniformly talk about the perks and special privileges one should get or demand. Is it any wonder our politicians take so many liberties with their positions...they feel as if the public is giving them the license to do so. Well the time is changing! I hope the jail sentences handed down to Enron CEO's Jeff Skilling and Ken Lay set a new tone of corporate and political responsibility wth leaders who serve in those roles!
To use the terminology of the roaring twenties we have too many “goodfellas” fleecing their pockets at tax payer expense with little to no regard to serving their country as they have been elected to do. We need some old fashion justice to clean up the place. We need people with character and integrity who stand for what is right and will serve this country in those positions properly. We need leaders who are interested in serving their country and not serving themselves. I know a group of guys about ready to take on that assignment.
In lieu of this subject regarding leaders not accepting responsibility and not faithfully discharging the duties of their position but rather looking for ways to further their own personal causes and trying to operate above the law, Rich Karlgaard has written an excellent piece on Dennis Hastert who he suggests should step down as speaker of the house.
Throw The Bums Out
Writes Quin Hillyer in the right-leaning The American Spectator:
“It's time for Dennis Hastert to go.
“Rep. Hastert, R-Ill., ought to announce sooner rather than later that he will not be a candidate for re-election as Speaker of the House when the next Congress convenes in January, 2007. He should do so for reasons both principled and purely political. He should do so because, in practical terms, his effectiveness is reaching -- or probably has already reached -- an end.
“And the recent embarrassment of his wild over-reaction to the FBI's search of Rep. William Jefferson's office is merely the 100-pound load that, combined with tons of ethical dead-weight, broke the elephant's back.
“Hastert has exhibited the arrogance of power that leaves him clueless both as to ethical concerns and as to the political damage such arrogance can cause to his own party. The House GOP's hubristic culture, the culture that makes its members feel immune to expected mores and to any blowback from a disgusted public -- the culture that, even after the Abramoff and DeLay scandals, makes them unwilling to pass serious reforms on ethics, lobbyist disclosure, and earmarks -- is what has led the House overall into even-worse poll ratings than the stupendously low scores President George W. Bush has been receiving in recent months.
“If Hastert's outburst against the Jefferson search were an isolated incident, a rare lapse in judgment, it certainly would be forgivable. Because, however, it is part of a consistent pattern of abuses of ethical norms or of simple fairness, and because Hastert's own compromised image is helping drag down his whole party's electoral prospects for November, this Speaker should silence himself politically.” Full story here.
We agree … but let’s stop right here, take a breath, and in our relentless bipartisan spirit point out, as our friend Larry Kudlow does today, that “corruption has no party loyalty.”
Kudlow cites the ethical lapses of Dem pols such as William “How’d that cash get in my freezer?” Jefferson and Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid who “accepted free ringside tickets to three boxing matches from the Nevada Athletic Commission, while the agency was trying to influence him on boxing regulation. (To make matters worse, two Republicans who attended the fights with Reid dealt with matters above deck -- Sen. John McCain insisted on paying for his tickets, while Sen. John Ensign (R-NV), recused himself from participating in Reid's pending legislation.)” Full column here.
Yep -- time for a summer cleaning.
By: Robert Dickie
