Steven P. BarrettWHAT PRICE IS IT WORTH DESTROYING A LIFE'S WORK IN PUBLIC SERVICE? (LINK)
July 30th 2008 00:04
By Steven Barrett
It's one of the saddest and oldest facets of political life: A man spends his entire life as a legislator, governor, etc., and for all his political prowess and clout, he stands to blow it all out the window for trinkets, chump change and perhaps just to prove he could get away with it.
Not that all of what I said applies to recently indicted Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens, but there's something ultimately tragic here, a betraying of a deep human flaw that'd been awaiting this betrayal by exposure or the flashlight equivilancy of a seven-count indictment.
I don't want to pass judgment on this man, who I hardly know and am admittedly unaware of what he's done through all his years Alaskan/US national politics. Obviously he must've contributed a considerable amount to the common good, or what his constituents felt they'd find acceptable. Just as each voter is different, so is each State, Congressional District, and respective state legislative district's political likes and dislikes.
It'd be unfair for me to judge him by northeastern standards; most unfair -- and cruelly so. But I it's entirely frustrating to read about yet another politician falling on corruption charges, and his falling doesn't just end with his own personal tragedy. But his falling also erodes at politics and public service as well. It feeds cynicism and erodes our structure of faith in public service/politics and public servants.
I remain stupified to understand why a man, any man or woman, would allow themselves to put themselves in a situation of possible conflicts of interest when the rewards of such conflicts are usually a pittance compared to what he or she'd lose: the public's trust. Yet, in fairness to Stevens, I have my own conscience to examine.
Way back in my days as a Deputy Clerk in the U.S. District Court Clerk's Office (mid Seventies) I was just out of college and excited about going to a party we -- the office -- were invited to at a nice Boston club by a law firm that did a lot of Federal litigation. Notwithstanding the fact that lots of Boston pols and even members of the Celtics were also invited (Tommy Heinsohn, then coach was a guest), when I told my father, a long time civil servant, he was non-plussed at first, but more like flabberghasted that I wouldn't have turned it down and been more like "Caesar's wife."
I'm not sure whether or not Stevens is guilty. Right now I'm asking if it's worth losing so much for even putting ourselves in such positions or "occasions of sin" to risk everything we've worked so hard to obtain -- for so little in relative terms of value?
And this man's personal crucible is only beginning.
Sen. Ted Stevens R-AK
It's one of the saddest and oldest facets of political life: A man spends his entire life as a legislator, governor, etc., and for all his political prowess and clout, he stands to blow it all out the window for trinkets, chump change and perhaps just to prove he could get away with it.
Not that all of what I said applies to recently indicted Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens, but there's something ultimately tragic here, a betraying of a deep human flaw that'd been awaiting this betrayal by exposure or the flashlight equivilancy of a seven-count indictment.
I don't want to pass judgment on this man, who I hardly know and am admittedly unaware of what he's done through all his years Alaskan/US national politics. Obviously he must've contributed a considerable amount to the common good, or what his constituents felt they'd find acceptable. Just as each voter is different, so is each State, Congressional District, and respective state legislative district's political likes and dislikes.
It'd be unfair for me to judge him by northeastern standards; most unfair -- and cruelly so. But I it's entirely frustrating to read about yet another politician falling on corruption charges, and his falling doesn't just end with his own personal tragedy. But his falling also erodes at politics and public service as well. It feeds cynicism and erodes our structure of faith in public service/politics and public servants.
I remain stupified to understand why a man, any man or woman, would allow themselves to put themselves in a situation of possible conflicts of interest when the rewards of such conflicts are usually a pittance compared to what he or she'd lose: the public's trust. Yet, in fairness to Stevens, I have my own conscience to examine.
Way back in my days as a Deputy Clerk in the U.S. District Court Clerk's Office (mid Seventies) I was just out of college and excited about going to a party we -- the office -- were invited to at a nice Boston club by a law firm that did a lot of Federal litigation. Notwithstanding the fact that lots of Boston pols and even members of the Celtics were also invited (Tommy Heinsohn, then coach was a guest), when I told my father, a long time civil servant, he was non-plussed at first, but more like flabberghasted that I wouldn't have turned it down and been more like "Caesar's wife."
I'm not sure whether or not Stevens is guilty. Right now I'm asking if it's worth losing so much for even putting ourselves in such positions or "occasions of sin" to risk everything we've worked so hard to obtain -- for so little in relative terms of value?
And this man's personal crucible is only beginning.
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Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief
Comment by tlcorbin
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Comment by Anonymous
But why care about politicians, one might scoff. Given the cynical nature of people, and some of their well-founded reasons for holding that nature, it's hard not to see where they're coming from. On the other hand, a more caring society (and I'm not speaking in terms of welfare, social spending programs) would wake up to the hidden dangers of an overdose of cynicism.
We already have enough problems thanks to a younger generation sold on deconstructionism and moral relativism. Mix this with a sense of an overall prevailing sense of institutionalized gloom, never-ending pessimism concerning public service, not only the US, but all of western democracy is in deep trouble. All it'll take is another benevolent-sounding bunch of pseudo democratic wolves wearing sheeps' clothing promsing to get the "trains running on time" like Mussolini, or "law and order," -- whatever it takes -- and one day we'll realize just how much we've mortgaged because we let things slide too far down the pipe.
We can handle a corrupt state or two; but we can't handle, nor can the world, handle a United States of America going out of business because its most responsible people acted so irresponsibly.
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Comment by D. Armenta
The Florida Keys and Everglades
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What constitutes bad manners?
The male mystique
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L.A.M.P.
I'm reserving judgment till I get the full story...
Comment by Anonymous
But on this Madame President (of our imaginary Senate chamber), I'll give the remainder of my time to Senator Raven, AK.
BTW, you did more than considerable justice to the Florida Everglades! Great posts.