“Public Servants” or “Lords and Overseers”?

This column presents a conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions.

I am convinced that somehow the American public has been a victim of a role reversal with the political bureaucracy which has grown steadily over the past fifty years. When I was a young man I often heard such terms as “Public Servant”, “Servant of the People”, and “Public Service” when describing the role of the bureaucracy within the American system of government. It seems that those terms have migrated in meaning as the power of the bureaucracy has grown, until today they have become oxymorons.

I believe we have evolved into a system which closely parallels the medieval system which existed between the rulers of that day and the poor serfs which lived and managed to scrape out their survival in the boundaries of their kingdoms. Government was closely managed and controlled by an “elitist” group which consisted of the extended royal family, their friends, and the politically connected part of their society. Entry into this select group was difficult to accomplish, and those Counts, Countesses, Dukes, Duchesses, Earls and Earlettes, Knights and Knightesses, and other members of the royal establishment enjoyed lives of lavish riches enabled by the power of their positions.

They lived from the plunder garnered from the poor, hard working serfs who toiled the fields and as the harvest was gathered had to yield a significant portion of their gains to the King, leaving them with less than was needed for the survival of them and their families. They were servants to the government, living lives of torment and misery at the pleasure of the governing elite. For their sacrifices they were afforded the pleasure of living on the land, protection from enemies, and management of the affairs of government. Their liberties, choices, and opportunities for gain were yielded to the needs of the decadent ruling class.

As I hear news stories relating to the abuses of today’s all knowing, all consuming, bureaucracy I can not help but draw comparisons to the medieval system of government. It appears they are no longer the “servants of the public”, and have instead become “Overlords of the Public”. The people of America are now working to serve the needs of the bureaucracy.

For their wonderful services our governments are taking over 50% of our earnings, restricting and regulating our every move, and controlling all of our properties. We see them boarding their government aircraft, riding in their chauffeured limousines, dining at great banquets, riding in their yachts, and living their lives of luxury as they rule our lives. All of this extravagance is bought through their power over our lives. Our bureaucracy has become the elitist ruling class.

Today the average federal worker earns over $120,000 per year, while the average non-government worker earns just over $65,000. These figures do not include the lavish government benefit packages which include generous vacation and sick leave programs, generous health plans, and retirement programs which offer almost full wages and benefits after retirement, often garnished with huge accrued benefit “buy outs” and retirement “drop” double dipping programs. They have steadily increased their spoonfuls from the public till, loosened the eligibility requirements, and increased their annual “take” from the public coffers, as their numbers multiply by exponential leaps.

It sickens us all to hear of the extravagance, corruption, and waste of our tax monies as the inept herd of bureaucrats and protective politicians continue to enact laws and rules which reduce our rights, restrict our freedoms, and generally make our lives unnecessarily more miserable. Add to this the stories of corruption involving bribery, trading government jobs for favoritism, and the passage of huge salary and benefit packages for themselves.

Simultaneously the plight of the serfdom general public has steadily worsened as costs have risen, industries have waned and died, regulations increased as freedoms have been lost, and our standard of living has declined. We are merely “slaves” to the political elite of today’s “American System”.

Personally, I hold our leaders totally responsible for the plight of our nation, and the possible plight of the world. Their system of organized corruption, self serving decision making, and placing retention of position and power ahead of national needs has created a system which is so huge, so mismanaged, so corrupt, and so entrenched that correction may be impossible. I see the elections of the next decade as the last opportunities for reversal of our negative downslide as a nation. Unless we can find, support, and elect true patriots instead of mere politicians…we are destined for failure.

As patriotic, caring Americans we must muster all of our available resources, strengths, and time to regaining control of our nation. We must return to basic beliefs, concepts, and ways of running our nation. Only then can we begin to “Get It Right”. We are certainly “Getting It Wrong” right now.


Rudiments: Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning –

● (Always include something nice) I applaud Richard Harrison for his personal effort to inform and arouse the public over the future impact of the ill conceived Septic Tank Laws which were passed during the last legislative session. He is a good example of an individual citizen taking action on his own for a good cause. We all need to support his efforts. (See story on front page.)

● In regards to this terrible new law which will take away more of your property rights, add to the bureaucracy, and cost all rural property owners thousands of dollars…. It appears to me that once again the general public is sitting back and being stupidly quiet while this new law takes effect. Just as no one attended the Public Service Meetings on electric rate increases the year before the rates were approved, (only about ten local citizens took time to attend the meeting) and then hundreds became outraged months later when they got their outlandish power bills…they are again not coming to the meetings on this septic tank law. “Speak now or forever pay through the nose.”

● Shame on all of you who did not take the time to vote on Tuesday or during the early voting period, or by getting an absentee ballot and simply mailing it in. If you are one of the lazy 18,919 Jackson County citizens who did not vote, then you are in effect saying you are happy with the way our nation, state, and local governments are operating. You have no right to complain over your taxes, utility bills, school system, bureaucratic rules and regulations which control your life, fees required, permits required, inspections required, fines, or anything else the “system” does to you. Just keep your mouth shut until you finally get up off your duff and take part in our nation’s processes.

Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Hatcher Publications.