We should treat the president like the garbage man
By guest columnist Craig J. Cantoni
Do we cheer the garbage man for doing his necessary but filthy job? Do we revere septic tank cleaners for doing their necessary but smelly work? Do we honor undertakers with statues in the public square for doing their necessary but creepy work?
Of course not.
Then why do we cheer, revere and honor politicians for doing their necessary but filthy, smelly and creepy work? Why is Washington D.C. cluttered with statues and monuments to them but not to the garbage man, the septic tank cleaner and the undertaker?
You might answer that a monument like the Lincoln Memorial is important because it honors Lincoln for freeing the slaves and keeping the Union together. Good answer, if it were true. Actually, thousand of Americans died to free the slaves and keep the union together. Contrary to what we were brainwashed to believe as kids, Lincoln doesn't deserve a bigger monument than any of them. (Then there is the issue of whether the Civil War truly was unavoidable and whether the horror of slavery would have ended on its own without the tragedy of war and the subsequent tragedy of Jim Crow.)
The garbage man, the septic tank cleaner and the undertaker are necessary to stop the spread of pestilence. Politicians are necessary to stop us from using clubs to resolve our differences, but, as history shows, they often stir our primitive passions to club other tribes over imagined differences. All of these occupations reflect the dark side of human existence, but only the job of politician requires deceit, hypocrisy and egomania.
Is that something to celebrate and honor?
The Founders understood that government is a necessary evil. That makes the representatives of government a necessary evil. As such, it's important to select them carefully, to keep a close eye on them, and to limit their job description to protecting life, liberty and property. But honor them?
The best way to limit politicians' lust for power is to treat them like the garbage man. That means selecting mentally balanced people for the job, recognizing the necessity of their work, and firing them when they deviate from their job description. It doesn't mean erecting statues and monuments to them and crossing the street to gawk at them if they are in our neighborhood.
Imagine how much better the nation would be if a president came to town and no one showed up to pay homage or to demonstrate subservience by playing "Hail to the Chief" when Air Force One arrives, as if this is a tribal chieftain and the subjects are in loin cloths with bones through their noses. After all, we don't play "Hail to the Garbage Man" when he exits the garbage truck.
In such a nation, the job of president would attract people with humility and normal egos. It would not attract the likes of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton or John McCain -- all of whom want to remake the world in their likeness instead of restricting themselves to protecting life, liberty and property.
The closest I've come to such a nation was a business trip to Iceland years ago. As my host was driving around Reykjavik and showing me the sights, he pointed to a non-descript building that resembled a large suburban ranch house. "That's the office of the prime minister," he said. "Would you like to go in and meet him?" he asked as nonchalantly as if he were asking me to meet his garbage man.
"Just walk in and meet him?" I responded incredulously. Like other Americans, I had gotten so used to treating politicians better than garbage men that I couldn't imagine such a thing.
I've since placed my childhood notions about presidents and other politicians where they belong: in the garbage can of bad ideas.
An author and columnist, Mr. Cantoni can be reached at ccan2@aol.com.
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