Country first. It’s a great concept and one that has been – for all practical purposes – lacking inside the beltway since before the advent of the spin doctor. Truthfully, both major political parties and their elected and appointed leadership have been delinquent in executing the spirit of “country first.” Both have placed the health of their respective political parties before good government and their quest for political power above the needs and demands of their constituents and the good of the nation. Both should be admonished for violating their oaths and betraying the American people.
Politicians make bad Statesmen, perhaps the understatement of the millennium. The ironic point about this truth is that in order to achieve the opportunity to demonstrate statesmanship you must first transverse the political process. Therefore, it is quite rare to experience the clarity of statesmanship in government.
This being understood, the American citizenry must quest for clarity, for truth and honesty, when addressing the issue of government and the notion of reform. Our government, no doubt, could benefit from the concept of reform. A streamlining of operations and an elimination of redundant and non-constitutionally mandated services would serve our nation well. Be that as it may, our government functions fairly well. A plethora of services are rendered each and every day to millions of Americans. And while we sometimes find ourselves disparaging the performance of government – its wasteful nature, its bureaucracy, etc. – for all that it provides it could do a lot worse. We could be Zimbabwe.
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Frank Salvato also serves as the managing editor for The New Media Journal. His writing has been recognized by the US House International Relations Committee and the Japan Center for Conflict Prevention.
