Friday, November 13, 2009
Corrupt by Design
Whether one views American government as corrupt by design or by accident has more to do with political illiteracy than self-interest. Watching American voters habitually fawn over celebrities like California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, or cult figures like US president Barack Obama, is a portentous reminder that citizenship is as endangered a phenomenon as leadership. As a system for fleecing the gullible and complacent, our government may have no equal, but as a model for social harmony, it is sorely lacking. One can always, of course, find failed states to use as examples of what we're thankful we haven't yet become, but as social services and communal values are savaged by politicians like Arnold and Barack, that psychological exercise offers little comfort. Without a radical change in direction, our future is Somalia.
