Public Good or Private Gain

At the risk of being accused of overly pounding the same topic over and over again, I have just one more thing to say concerning the "Political Aristocracy" that I wrote about in my last post. Why? Because I came across a statement that confirms my thoughts.

John Tanner, the academic vice president at Brigham Young University, recently wrote about the "founding generation" and offered George Washington as a supreme example of ideal "citizen leadership" (see "More Than Self," BYU Magazine, Summer 2009, 3). He indicated that General Washington "won the war by the art of strategic retreats" and "secured lasting liberty by the art of strategic resignations."

Washington was a public servant, not a public snob. He carefully showed "how citizen leaders should wield power and yield power." He also pursued "the public good rather than private gain."

Now, how many of today's politicians could be so characterized? By my count... just... none. I'm thinking of Arlen Specter. So, why did he jump from the Republican to the Democratic Party? I think it had something to do with realizing he would have lost the republican nomination (most likely because of his vote on the stimulus package). Does that sound like he's pursuing the public good? Or is it private gain? I have my suspicions.

So, are there any public servants left in America? If so, who are they? I certainly hope some can be found... because if not, there's little hope for a free America.