The title of this piece is a quote from political humorist PJ O'Rourke. It pretty much reflects my view toward the Federal government (see my earlier blog entry "Monkeys with Guns") and some State legislatures (like New York and Pennsylvania) who are known for significant levels of corruption.
While there are many smart, ethical, and reliable people who work in State and Federal government (I know many personally) there are others in positions we should be able to trust who can't be relied upon to act in the best interests of the taxpayers.
Examples from past and present administrations are legion: The Bay of Pigs, Watergate, the Iran/Contra Affair, Invasions of Panama, Grenada, Iraq, and Afghanistan, support of corrupt foreign governments (such as Marcos in the Philippines and the current Saudi regime) and many others you can probably name quite easily.
On a national level, you can look in the news every day to find examples of things you find objectionable: police shooting unarmed people, inept disaster response (Hurricane Katrina and Puerto Rico stand out), the Border Patrol stopping cars 100 miles from the border to challenge individuals' citizenship, and a plethora of other examples.
Congress serves as an outstanding example of waste and inefficiency. They "work" less than half the days in the year, and would be hard-pressed to identify many real accomplishments. They hold hearings and press conferences, but much of their time and energy is spent bashing members of the opposite political party. On top of that, they have granted themselves perks to create a separate class, such as free unlimited air travel (the bills go to the Department of the Treasury, who pays them without questions), they have a free platinum-level health plan, laws are passed that they are exempt from following (such as insider trading), and they have a pension that any other American citizen would love to have (and which will never be underfunded).
The current administration continues the trend of waste. "Drain the Swamp" has come to mean frequent golf trips, inept and unqualified political appointees, ignoring Federal regulations on such things as air travel and purchasing, telling our allies that they are a threat to our national security, complimenting (and envying) dictators, starting trade wars that are resulting in layoffs and business closing, and a host of other unflattering acts. While I respect the office of the President, I find it challenging to extend that respect to the current occupant, who seems incapable of telling the truth or accepting any responsibility for anything negative he or his minions have said or done.
I guess I can comfort myself in knowing that, based upon how little Congress is in session and that a term for President is only four years, things could be a lot worse. I guess the best we can hope for is to keep the whiskey and car keys are out of reach as much as we can.
