Of Sharks and Chum
Remember when politicians had some notion of public service? That ideal now feels positively antediluvian.
What I’d really like to see is a genuine commitment to public service—especially from the most powerful figures in our government. That should begin with a reaffirmation of their oath to the U.S. Constitution as the supreme law of the land, and with a renewed dedication to transparency. Citizens have a right to privacy; the government, by contrast, should not. Yet today we have an unaccountable government that routinely hides behind “that’s classified” or the dark humor of “we could tell you, but then we’d have to shoot you.”
True public service also means not profiting from one’s position. I’d gladly support higher salaries for members of Congress if they swore off investing in sectors where they hold influence or privileged information. (Nancy Pelosi comes to mind, though she’s hardly alone in benefiting through dubious if technically “legal” means.) When, exactly, did public service turn into a “get rich quick” scheme?
It would also be refreshing if members of Congress, retired generals and admirals, and other officials were barred from becoming corporate lobbyists for at least ten years after leaving office. The revolving door between government, industry, and the military breeds conflicts of interest that corrode the public trust.
Once, public service was seen as sacrificial—and therefore honorable. Today, it’s often self-serving, self-enriching, and self-glorifying. Those in power increasingly see themselves as big fish—if not outright sharks—while the rest of us are left as so many minnows, or worse, chum.
It’s hard to imagine America becoming “great again” when the very notion of public service has come to be regarded as something only a sap would believe in.
Bracing Views 
… antediluvian… great word, perfectly suited in this context
… in high-school and college, remember few in class would be seeking to enter government / foreign-service careers… then business came along swallowing up all those dreams of “service”
… now, we’ve got this mess, bc we lured away talent w-smell of fortunes… and now we have the greatest number of one-percenters world has ever known… and just what-where has it gotten-us
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How right you are. It isn’t just public service. Civility has disappeared as we see juvenile name calling coming from the White House and members of Congress. The very people who should be working for the unity of the country are snapping and barking at each other while the president speaks to the American people with contempt as if addressing an enemy. All the while he ignores looming problems, deliberately does things out of spite (gutting the EPA) and makes threats almost daily.
Dysfunction is a predecessor of collapse, only we are seeing worse than that in the way Trumpism is attempting to turn back progress in the name of profit. What could be more insane that promoting fossil fuel extraction when science begs us to do the opposite.
A bright side is the remarkable success of Zohran Mamdani who appears to be concerned with the public good. There are others like him contending for office. Americans are realizing how bad things have become, how completely corrupt is our political system and that the one and only way to right the capsizing ship is to vote for change in the face of unlimited money that can see nothing but more profit.
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