swerk's Journal: President's Day

Today we theoretically get a day off, in celebration of our nation's great leaders.

We've sure had some stinkers, though. The usual bumbles of inept economic policies and/or poorly led warfare are nothing new in politics, American or otherwise. Sometimes, though, we get some genuinely backwards stuff. Stuff that happens because of a bunch of powerful people, not just the president, but significant steps that get joined in memory with the commander-in-chief.

Two steps forward, one step back is fine for political progress. You can see it in the constitution. Abolish slavery... allow blacks to vote... ban alcohol. Huh? It comes down to respect, a great deal of the time. Eventually we have to come to the realization that "we" are not "better" than "them". Black people are people too. Moreover, "we" have to respect "their" choices, even if we disagree with them. If I'm on some some Puritanical high horse, fine, but that doesn't make it right for me to tell you what you can and can't drink.

We've had some interesting games happen with social security with the last few rounds of administrations. Progressives note the situation in every other post-industrial society on the planet and think Americans deserve those same benefits. Conservatives don't necessarily think the the government "owes" its citizens a damn thing, but would be more than happy to build up a private sector version of social security. As an aside, I find it really interesting that the same people who argue that government-run operations can never be as good as privately-run outfits also argue that the government should be in charge of personal life matters. You're on your own for medication, but don't you dare decide what to do with your own body!

We took some steps forward economically and environmentally during the Clinton years, but we also took a step back in terms of personal liberties with the introduction of the DMCA. Under Bush II, we've taken back those forward steps and then some, and the USA PATRIOT act puts the DMCA to shame with its civil rights-stomping powers. Drug dealers can be held now as terrorists, because the legal process is easier, oppressing their rights to a speedy trial and so on. While stepping backwards, we got attacked by a Saudi terrorist organization and invaded Iraq in retaliation. Oh, and that huge surplus we amassed during the Clinton years turned into the country's biggest deficit ever. Even worse, we re-elected the bastard in charge of all this! Not only is America taking leaps backwards, we're apparently enjoying it! 51% of us, anyway.

But, better presidents will come along. I say this with a Murphy's Law-baiting amount of confidence: The next U.S. President will be a vast improvement over the current one. The next one may be better yet. At some point we'll have a stinker again. I just hope that by that time we've taken enough steps forward that the slipping back won't hurt as much. I hope I never hate another president as much as I hate George W. Bush. I would be tickled pink if I didn't care one way or the other about the president, as was the case under Clinton. But it would be truly fantastic if we could have another George Washington or Abraham Lincoln or JFK.