We wouldn’t send a fry cook to design a skyscraper, would we? Why do we view the job of running our nation with less clarity? We need climate scientists, medical doctors, sociologists, etc. in political office, not devoted WWE, Monday Night Football and Nascar fans; not religious fundamentalists or theistic panderers; and certainly not scientifically illiterate, coal pushing climate change deniers. Should we not have at least some job specific educational requirements for political offices?
Serving a term in a political post could hardly be considered “operating dangerous machinery,” but make no mistake about it, if it’s operated incorrectly it could likely harm us all.
We don’t need people with bachelor's degrees in animal husbandry leading the Department of Energy unless we’re planning on using manure to fuel our power plants!
Truth about power in America
The Office of The President of the United States of America projects power. But, the President, as we are now witnessing, is not an all-powerful dictator, no matter how much he may wish it so. He is still subject to the checks and balances of a democratically elected government. It’s true that having a face people recognize is crucial in achieving the oval office. It’s important, however, that we pay special attention to what they are recognized for.
The Office of President of the United States is not one of total power, nor of simple imagery.
However, there should be certain standards of education and decorum to which we hold our "national spokesman." He may not need to be the smartest guy in the world, but he should at least be cordial and civil. He should know how to behave like an adult among other adults. It has become appallingly clear that Donald Trump either doesn’t care to be cordial and civil, or he doesn’t actually know how.
Rise of an idiocratic party
The last two Republican presidents we have had, current one included, have made me the Democrat I am today. I never was able to imagine George W Bush capable enough of independent thought to be anything but a useful puppet to the Republicans in Congress. The current holder of the position is something different.
Donald Trump acts disproportionately independent. He is, I imagine, what would happen if President George W Bush were drunk and belligerent. So as to say, “Put that down, you’re too drunk to operate that!”. Donald Trump should not be allowed to operate the machinery of government. If America were a car, Donald would be trying to put antifreeze in the crankcase, and oil in the wiper/washer reservoir.
There were a couple of times in my 47 years that a Republican president held the office. They were not great, but they never upset my sense of equilibrium the way that the 22-year long Republican Idiocracy has. America, if not the world, is in peril. The climate is not waiting for psychopathic leaders like Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, or Kim Jong-un to be put in check.
That’s on us.
Die livin' or live dyin'
We, as a world population, need to decide if that’s how we want to go out. We could all just put our heads in our electronics, hide in our air-conditioned homes spewing chlorofluorocarbons, and wait, oblivious, as the world burns around us. Maybe that would be a great idea. I hear that trying to stop the carbon cycle is akin to trying to reverse the rotation of the Earth.
So maybe it’s the best we can do to stick our heads in the sand and just go out quickly and quietly while the remaining psychopaths feed on our carcasses. But I’m not going to be one of those. I prefer to face my end with my eyes wide open and fighting like hell to protect the future of my young. We’re all going to go out eventually. We choose if it’s asleep in our beds, or living for something greater.
