For a secularist there is no higher duty than that of a public servant. If one where to try to find an apt analogy, public service to a secularist would be what the priesthood is to the religious.
Why is that? Well, let's start with the concept of democracy, of a government of the people, by the people and for the people. The whole idea of it is that the government is set up to protect the interests of the people. In an enlightened society, that means first and foremost secularism, which is perhaps the highest manifestation of rational thought when it comes to governance. It also means the setting up of a legal and constitutional framework meant to protect the rights of both, individuals, and their communities.
In the final analysis the protection is against the predation of the powerful, motivated by craven greed. It is also against potential crimes committed against individuals, or the community.
And so once the people set up a government, a legal and regulatory framework is put into place, seeking to maintain a level playing field adhering to the concepts and practice of justice, equality under the law, national security, compassion, and ethics.
Now, and again, this is why being a public servant (elected official, regulators, government functionaries) is much more different than working in the private sector. Public servants make the laws and draft the regulations we all live under, and we expect them to do so without prejudice, bias, or hidden agendas (like using their office as a stepping tool for personal enrichment).
And so, the hallmark of an honest politician is an innate understanding that their most sacred duty is to fulfill the responsibilities of their office and to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States... Notice that when you get a job at Walmart, or Google, you are not required to make a oath to the Constitution.
To an honest politician it would never cross their mind that they could use their office for personal enrichment, nor as a way to enrich or benefit family members or associates. He or she would see that as influence-peddling corruption.
An honest politician knows that once they raise their hand and make an oath the the Constitution, and they assume their duties, they will do so faithfully for however long they need to do it, and then if they decide to end their service, they can go back to being a private citizen...
Enter the dishonest, depraved and cravenly greedy politician... Contrary to the honest politician (i.e., Barbara Lee, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and others that share their sense of duty and responsibility), there are those who see their office as a stepping stone towards personal enrichment, towards the benefit and enrichment of their family members and associates. It is this depraved and immoral character that corporatist cartels and moneyed interests seek to influence, a task that's not really that complicated given the willingness of the corrupt politician.
Here are some situations that define the corrupt politician... One of the most common ones is the revolving door of corruption. What characterizes this treasonous individual is his or her willingness to curry favor with wealthy individuals or powerful corporations by using their influence (and power) to move a certain agenda forward; an agenda that almost always has to do with profiteering.
That's where you get into an increasingly draconian and oppressive two-tiered legal system, private prisons, corporate media conglomeration, and setting up a environment where big corporate interests are increasingly able to exploit and subjugate the citizenry; interests like the Wall Street criminal racketeering cartel, big Pharma, big Real Estate, big Insurance, big Agricultural interests, and the for profit corporate-controlled surveillance police state industrial complex.
These small-minded craven politicians, not really having the smarts to realize that as a collective, they are helping bring about Corporate State Fascism, just go about their business of putting their hands out to collect the money; the campaign contributions money when they are in office, and the exponentially-larger salaries as employees of the companies that benefited when they were in office (as a reward for their treason).
And so, the hallmark of a debased and cravenly greedy politician is his or her penchant of seeing the office they were entrusted with as a stepping stone for personal enrichment.
And so, right now, as you read this, in any office of pubic officials where their staffs are on the phone talking to powerful business interests, taking notes as to what they will do next, or arranging the next "training session," whether we are talking about banking, oil, big pharma, big insurance, etc., they are committing treason against the people of this country; they are violating the sacred duty of their office.
In any office where staff members are trying to curry favor with these special interests, working on neoliberal private profiteering schemes, and where the expectations of those staff members is to eventually get a exponentially higher-paying job at companies controlled by those special interests, treason is being committed against the people of this country.
Finally, in case anybody has any question, or can't quite make a distinction between an honest public servant and an enemy-withing-money-grabbing treasonous one, here it is:
Honest Politician: To an honest politician it would never cross their mind using their position, their power, their influence, their office, to enrich themselves, nor their family members, or associates. The idea of doing something like that is totally repugnant to an honest politician.
Dishonest, Corrupt, Craven, Greedy Politician: Sadly, the first drawback for his or her ilk is that they are not smart enough to know that what they are doing is helping to bring about corporate state fascism to this country. They (and their apologists, and sycophants) are not able to connect the dots. Because of this, they are more susceptible to the influence-peddling corruption born out of their propensity to accept bribes from powerful individuals and business interests. Therefore when they are in office, they move the agenda of the powerful, forward. They take huge amounts of money (bribes) in the form of campaign contributions when they are in office, and expect to get exponentially higher paid employment when they leave office (the same their staff, families, and close associates).
Is your representative honest? Find out... First start at the Federal level. Find out who your Senate and House members are, and send them an email or letter like this:
Dear Senator/Congressperson:
As one of your constituents I'm interested in ascertaining whether you are serving the interests of the people or the powerful and connected. With that in mind, I would like to respectfully ask you the following questions:
- Revolving Door: Do the conditions exists where there is a possibility that after you leave office you may end up working for a company that has benefited from your actions while holding public office? If so, could you send me a list of those companies, and the increase in salary you expect once you become employed by said company?
- Staff Members: Likewise, is any member of your staff in a position to influence legislation (by bringing certain issues to your attention) that will benefit moneyed special interests, which could then be in a position to reward them with high-paying jobs or other benefits? Also, could you provide a list of your staff members going back ten years, and if possible, where they are working now?
- Associates: Has any of your close associates benefited from actions you've taken as a public official?
Finally, I understand that fulfilling this request may not be high in your priorities and that is why I'm recruiting other concerned citizens to conduct very detailed research to help us answer these questions and we expect to have them all fully answered, but your collaboration would be very helpful nevertheless.
Respectfully,
Your Constituent
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