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Understanding Politics
Ernie Hooker
Politics is the business of spending other people’s money. Can you imagine having a credit card with unlimited credit with the bill being paid by people you will never know? This is especially easy if you marginalize and/or demonize those people. Could you think of a few worthy causes for yourself and others that sound really good? Now be honest. Would those same causes seem as worthy if the cash came from your pocket?
You no doubt are not a state or federal politician or seeking that position. It takes a certain psychological profile combined with a moral flexibility that most of us do not have. Above average intelligence is not one of the requirements; most politicians are pretty average in that department. Don’t pay attention to the media and its constant reassurance that so-and-so is highly intelligent or so-and-so lacks intelligence. In fact, when you hear on a daily basis that a certain politician is very intelligent, ask yourself: If that is true, why isn’t it self-evident?
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There has to be an all-consuming goal, which is often mistaken as attaining wealth. Money is only a tool which helps gain the real prize which is power. Of course, it is an obsession so there is never power enough to satisfy. Being able to directly or indirectly force people to do what they don’t want to do leaves many politicians absolutely giddy. If money were the goal, they would have been gangsters or business executives, that is, if they had the ability.
Several books written by psychiatrists and psychologists do an excellent job of documenting the breathtaking level of narcissism of many of our most prominent politicians. However, don’t assume that narcissism is the only psychopathology typically present. Here are two examples from a long list about politicians written by psychiatrists or psychologists: A Pathological Narcissist by Dr. Sam Vaknin, an Israeli psychologist writing about Obama, and Bush on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President by Justin A. Frank.
How is this Psychopathology Expressed in Our Everyday Life?
This brings us to the Federal Education Department, a bureaucracy that has been around since 1980 and, according to its government website, has a discretionary budget of about $49.7 billion (this does not include the $33 billion or so of Pell grants it administers). One could make the argument that without the Education Department, the United States would have finished worse than 17th in reading, 23rd in science, and 31st in math. Facts excerpted from Do We Really Need The Federal Education Department and The Department Of Energy?
Who does this benefit? Has it improved your children’s education? Has it used your tax dollars more efficiently? Has it helped or hindered your input into your children’s education? And, here is the big question: Has it increased the federal politicians’ empire?
 Politics is the art of creating situations involving the threat of loss."
~Richard L. Kempe |
At the state level, we hear about students and teachers needing more money. In the city where I live, the school buildings often have no heat, no air conditioning, little janitorial help, etc. The buildings are shabby and the grounds are neglected. However, the new administration buildings with their fine luxuries would rival the best accommodations anywhere. This is a widespread condition in the nation. So much money is used for administration that several states have passed laws to mandate that two-thirds of the money must go to the schools.
We are overloaded with administration costs in all areas of government. Many administrative sections of the government no longer serve any purpose yet still exist. The obvious conclusion is this benefits the power-obsessed politicians, not the taxpayer.
Our Politicians' Looking Out for the Little Guy. Right?
It is common for politicians to knock the wealthy and corporations. Japan used to have the highest corporate tax and the resultant economic problems are obvious. We now have the highest corporate tax in the world. How does this affect you if you need a job or a better job?
Consider the BP oil spill and the bashing that went on even after the company set aside $20,000,000,000 for the victims, which was grossly mishandled by the government. The constant censure by the government and convoluted response caused BP’s stock dividends to disappear. If it had it been handled with a little common sense, at least some of the dividends could have been saved. The net result was that 18,000,000 people on a pension lost their monthly income in the UK, as did 14,000,000 in the U.S. Clearly, the government was not looking out for us.
Those who developed the constitution benefitted from thousands of years of political history. They may have not been familiar with the words power-obsessed narcissists, however, they had a clear understanding of the kind of individual (career politician) who would be irresistibly lured by the prospect of spending other people’s money. We might benefit from their wisdom of providing checks and balances on those elected to represent us.
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