Perhaps We Need An Earthquake

It was reported during the February 4th, 2010 broadcast of "The News Hour With Jim Lehrer" on PBS that, after years of distrusting one corrupt government after another, the Haitians are now looking to their government for help.

What has made the difference is that Haitians see that their government officials are suffering along with the rest of the population. Like other Haitians, government officials have seen their family members die, their homes and offices destroyed and their lives turned upside down by the constant anxiety of trying to survive day to day.

Wouldn’t it be great if, as in Haiti, our government officials in the United States suffered along with us? Perhaps we would distrust them less. Perhaps this might even lead to real reform.

Imagine if:
--Government officials had the same insecurities about the adequacy of their healthcare coverage as we do (I once pointed out to a staffer in Senator John Kyl’s office that his health care coverage was vastly superior to mine or anyone I knew. The staffer accused me of not wanting him to have health coverage at all. “Of course I do,” I responded. “I want you to have the same coverage as the rest of us.” The staffer, of course, had no response).
--Government officials had the same fear of losing their jobs as we do (over 90% of incumbents are reelected).
--Government officials had to stand in security lines at airports along with the rest of us (no doubt, the lines would move faster).
--Government officials were forced to put their kids in public schools (for sure, then, no child would ever be left behind).
--Serving in the military was voluntary except for the children of government officials who would be drafted into the armed services (the inevitable result? Fewer and shorter wars.).
--One in eight government officials, selected by lottery, had to wonder where their next meal was coming from (as is true now for families in the United States).
--By law, the net worth of government officials went down during their time in office (according to the Pew Research Center, “from 1983 to 2004, the median net worth of upper-income families more than doubled, while the median net worth of middle-income families grew by just 29%. In effect, those in the middle have been making progress in absolute terms while falling behind in relative terms.” Social and Demographic Trends,Inside the Middle Class: Bad Times Hit the Good Life, April 9, 2008).

I find this last idea particularly appealing. Perhaps it would lead to government representatives who truly want to serve rather than enrich themselves.

Years ago, I saw a television interview with Ralph Nader who, in response to a question, stated his belief that no one in Congress should earn more than a public school teacher in the state from which that representative was elected.

The reporter looked like this was the most shocking thing he had ever heard and asked, “You mean you want them to serve purely for the public good.”

Now it was time for Nader to be shocked. “Of course,” he said.

It’s shocking to think we might be shocked at the thought of public service for the public good. Perhaps we need an earthquake to shake us up.