Maybe One Day

By: J.G. Schwam

George W. Bush, presumed President of the United States, seems unable to learn from his mistakes. Some time ago, Presidents sought to appoint the best and the brightest to key governmental positions. The incumbent GOP has made it obvious that their prime criteria for key governmental posts is the most right wing and the richest.

Political cronyism by our elected officials is not a new scourge just one we must live through. It is fast becoming obvious, if it's not already so, that qualifications, experience in ones field is no longer required to hold high office in our land. Not at least in this administration. Is the GOP incapable of learning from their mistakes? Why should we be willing to assume that one CEO is more qualified to run a cabinet level secretariat than another? Both Snow and the clueless ex Secretary of the Treasury Paul O'Neil ran profitable companies.

Running the Department of the Treasury is not like running a company. The days of Joe Kennedy as the honest fox cleaning up the dirty hen house are gone.

We live in a new age, an age where a grasp of the immense complexities of our financial system and it's current mess, under which we all labor and suffer can only be understood and an adequate remediation proposed by one whose skills and experience are gleaned from years of toilage within the field of finance. Still, Bush seems more interested rewarding big campaign contributors with cabinet spots then choosing the best and the brightest.

Enter the new nominee for Treasury Secretary, John W. Snow, Chairman and CEO of railroad giant CSX. Snow personally donated $24,000.00 to GOP candidates and PAC's in the 2002 election cycle including over $5000.00 to Bush and over $10,000 from 1996 through the 2000 election cycles. Unlike many savvy wealthy donors Snow made no donations to any Democratic Party candidates or PAC's. He has clearly, with his wallet, demonstrated his desire to put political partisanship ahead of simply currying favor with politicians as many do. This is a practice that Bush clearly seems to applaud and reward.

These actions alone stand to reinforce the common assertion that the Bush administration has no interest in serving the interests of any other than the wealthiest two percent of our nation, those that can afford to donate thousands to their campaigns. The concept of an oligarchal government will not fly in America. Many Americans are simply too smart, too well educated, too committed, and care too much about the state and fate of our union to stand by and simply watch a small group of radical, right wing, rich fundamentalist backed businessmen attempt take over our nation by virtue of their perceived muscle of their money.

Americans expect their leaders to choose the best and the brightest to advise and help them make decisions that are the best for the most concerned. No savvy goal oriented CEO would put a salesman in charge of the bank. Bush may think of himself as a salesman but as one who is now CEO he should see the wisdom of putting a banker in charge of the bank. But, in light of his illustration of his logic in nominating Snow as head of the Treasury Department, he clearly sees no logic in matching skills and experience to the job.

Some time ago our government officials viewed themselves as beholden to those that elected them. They believed they had a responsibility to appoint the smartest most qualified persons possible to key posts in their administrations. Maybe one day, if we make it so, we'll once again have a government that sees their charge as a service to the nation that has instilled it's trust in that government. But, we must make it so. We must let them know that we are onto their game. Maybe one day we will make it so. Or our nation will no longer be ours.