In reading "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine I came across this, which I thought was quite appropos to the world we live in today (it's found in the chapter entitled "Of Monarchy & Hereditary Succession"):
"Men who look upon themselves born to reign, and others to obey, soon grow insolent. Selected from the rest of mankind, their minds are early poisoned by importance; and the world they act in differs so materially from the world at large, that they have but little opportunity of knowing its true interests, and when they succeed in the government are frequently the most ignorant and unfit of any throughout the dominions."
Seems
to me that this happens the most with "leaders" who emerge from the
elite classes, our very own presumed "aristocracy" ... seems to me also
that, for the most part, the majority of our best leaders have been men
who came from more "common" origins, educated themselves, and were men
of definite faith in someone/something higher than themselves, men who
didn't have an excessive abundance of self esteem (i.e. delusions of
grandeur), who looked for divine guidance and didn't lean on their own
understanding for everything. In addition these men typically didn't surround
themselves with thugs, crooks, people of questionable and/or deficient
character, who were determined to garner sufficient personal/public power to stay "in power" for as long as possible, filling their own coffers or the coffers of their friends at the expense of the general populace.
These good leaders were the ones who saw a duty, filled it, and went back home to live among those they represented so that they didn't lose a sense of who they really were. They remained connected to the people and were able to maintain a common vision for what was best and what was needed.
Seems to me that far too many of today's "leaders" have lost that common connection to the people they pledged to serve and the Constitution they pledged to uphold and defend.
On the other hand, there are some that have the right of it and are willing to take principled stands in defending the "common man." In my opinion and observation, I've seen this mostly in Republicans (but unfortunately not in *all* Republicans). Good examples are Michelle Bachman, Jan Brewer, Sarah Palin, Eric Cantor, Joe Wilson, Jim Demint, Greg Walden, and Mike Pence. So far, these individuals have my respect, my admiration, and my confidence. Let's hope they don't blow it.
.... anyway, that's how I see it.
I could not agree more. The leaders of the secular-progressive movement currently in power in Washington are drunk on their own power. The arrogant passage of the vastly unpopular health care bill and the invitation extended to a foreign leader to come berate Americans from Capitol Hill are just two examples.
Posted by: Nate | Monday, June 07, 2010 at 07:22 PM