That’s what the political class is like:
The crop that have just been semi-tossed were particularly bad – they’ve been ripping out the copper plumbing and smashing the furniture for firewood.
It would be great if we could get the lot of them a much smaller, less damage prone dwelling. How about a supermax cell?
Actually, I still prefer Arnold Kling’s “thugs ransacking my house” analogy.
Agree with Kling. Renters at least pay rent (usually). These guys just loot.
Which makes me sort of sad that 87% of Congressional incumbents are still in office. That’s less than usual, but still – given the approval levels it should be much, much lower.
But such is life in America where a two-Party cartel has controlled access to politics since before the Civil War. There is choice, but it is highly restricted.
The bad renters analogy works in so far as the landlord (we the people) were duped into letting them in. They’re especially bad renters in that they pay the rent with loot taken from the rented house.
Which also says something about the landlord not evicting them at the earliest opportunity.
Oh come. We rented them the place, fair and square. You might as well blame jackals and hyenas for being…well, jackals and hyenas.
What needs to be done is to BURN INTO THE BRAIN the fact that politicians are NEVER to be trusted, particularly with your money or life, and that however tempting may be the fantasy to use the awesome power of the State to achieve your own particular version of Utopia, IT WILL NEVER WORK. Never never never. Just give it up. You might as well pray to Zeus or believe in time machines and antigravity.
Government is the religion of the late 19th through 20th and at least part of the 21st century, so far, functioning as religion used to as the repository of naive and delusional hopes, and the channel through which all the worst abusive and sadistic impulses of men are naturally channeled. It took more than 7 centuries for the world to give up on the hegemony of religion (from 1000 to 1700, I’m saying). One hopes very much it won’t take 7 centuries to give up on the hegemony of government, and that following that inevitable Second Enlightenment, we’ll finally learn to cherish our individual liberty above all.
It took more than 7 centuries for the world to give up on the hegemony of religion (from 1000 to 1700,
Well, the Western European part of the world. In other areas the “hegemony of religion” is a major cause of mayhem and mass death. And they show little inclination to change that.
Heh, at first glance of the topic, I thought some of the outgoing congressional staffers were pulling off all the A’s, E’s, and T’s from the keyboards.
That’s not a bad start, Leland. I imagine if Congressional staffers were forced to work entirely with paper and pencil — heck, with quill pens and parchment! — they’d be able to do a lot less damage.
I mean, honestly, only the damn computer and efficient laser printers enable the construction of a 2,000 page bill the night before it’s passed. If some poor scribes had to write out by hand all 2,000 pages of all 450 copies, I bet it wouldn’t happen.
Let’s force Congress to work by candlelight while we’re at it. And no air conditioning. Or flush toilets.
Like CEOs, have performance bonuses for politicians based on how well the economy does (ROI to voters)?
Maybe with retirement benefits also tied to how well the economy is doing 5-10 years later? To ensure sensible long term management.
Why do politicians get retirement at all? It’s suppose to be a public service, not a career. Completely remove retirement benefits and they can keep a/c and toilets.
Carl: We do need a Second Enlightenment–the Re-Enlightenment.
Ken: Why should they get A/C? Prior to air conditioning, we were much freer, as people didn’t want to hang around DC all of the time.
Yeah, I agree. No A/C. Commissary should only serve baked beans . Bills need to be submitted on parchment paper and read into the record before being voted on. Said reading needs to be done by the same reader, with no bathroom or meal breaks, and can only be interrupted for votes to vote down the measure or calls for adjournment. Anyone voting in favor of a bill must be present through the entire reading.
Of course, a successful call for adjournment means that the reading has to start over again from the beginning the next time it’s considered.
Except for bills repealing other bills. Those can be expedited.
Mark Twain had campaigned to get a pension for Grant. I don’t mind presidents getting pensions, but not the other riff-raff.
But don’t forget that they’re thugs ransacking your house for your own good!
Ken: Why should they get…
Because I want them to be there for the right reason and leave for the right reason. Treating servants with humanity says a lot about us.
Giving them pensions sends the absolute wrong message. Giving away the peoples money may be fun but it’s not right. Providing a/c in the peoples buildings for the people servants is humane. We do not have any responsibility to provide for them once out of office. They need to provide for themselves just like everybody else in the country.