Harry, my problem is that I'm not very
sophisticated. I hold to a naive belief that politicians should operate
from a body of principles and not be elected simply because they project the
kind of image that appears right at the moment. When I was a kid in rural
Saskatchewan, there were politicians with principles around. But that is a
bygone era, as long ago as the stone age.
Ed
----- Original Message -----
From: "Harry Pollard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "'Ed Weick'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2003 8:51 PM
Subject: RE: Re: [Futurework] Fw: All the President's
votes? [long; important]
>
> Catching up after completely changing my E-Mail set-up.
>
> After bringing me up-to-date on Canadian politics, you said:
>
> ">I've snipped the rest of your posting because I'm still hoping
> to wake
> >up to find that the election of Ahnold Schwarzenegger was some
> kind of
> >comic dream! If it isn't, all one can say is the people deserve
> the
> >kind of government they elect."
>
> I think your remark about Schwarzenegger is an indication that we
> have elevated politicians into a kind of nobility. The Lords and
> Ladies knew they were born to the purple. That the commoners were
> not only a class apart but also somewhat inferior. Certainly, not
> material for the upperclass.
>
> I think that a similar attitude has led to the sneering at Arnold
> even as Ronald was sneered at in his time. They were not
> politicians, so how can they aspire to the role of leading the
> country -- or even a State?
>
> A favorite painting of mine is hung somewhere in Capitol building
> (I think). It is a picture of George Washington handing back his
> letters of commission to Congress. He had completed the job of
> throwing out the English, and was now going home.
>
> I wish politicians would think in terms of going home. As it is,
> they like to stay in power forever. Al Gore finished college, did
> a short stint in Vietnam, spent a year in divinity school, and in
> his late twenties went to Congress. That's where he spent his
> time until he was defeated by Bush.
>
> He is without doubt the professional politician. We don't really
> elect people to represent us. Rather, they elect themselves and
> quite right for who could possibly do the job better than they.
> People like Reagan and Schwarzenegger, not to mention Jesse
> Ventura, are interlopers.
>
> They shouldn't be allowed to into the Halls of the Godly.
>
> Harry
>
>
