For The Love Of Liberty

As I read the news today a quote came to mind that I think is perhaps worth contemplation.   It is by William Hazlitt and it goes like this, "The love of liberty is the love of others; the love of power is the love of ourselves."  I think this is particularly pertinent today because of the administration and Congress that is currently at the head of our government and their current and past actions.
 
I asked myself just what is it that this administration and Congress has given to our nation that would demonstrate their love of liberty and hence their love of others and our nation.   And then I asked myself what is it that this administration has given themselves that would demonstrate their love of power and hence their love of self to the exclusion of others and our nation.
 
The answers are quick to come.  Here is the answer to, what is it that this administration and Congress has given to our nation that would demonstrate their love of liberty and hence their love of others and our nation.
 
Sorry I'm drawing a blank.  Seriously I'm drawing a blank.   I cannot think of a single thing they have done that shows love of liberty.
 
Now here is the answer to the question, what is it that this administration has given themselves that would demonstrate their love of power and hence their love of self to the exclusion of others and our nation.  We could and should begin with a president who takes the laws of the nation so lightly that he would violate them for the simple need for expediency i.e. wiretaps without warrants because the courts are too slow.  We then move to the appointment of cronies, former business associates, and friends to high places who are unqualified to function in the positions but are skilled fund raisers who demonstrated their skills by raising funds for the political campaigns of administration officials.   This particular action was and is unfortunately amplified by the Katrina disaster which highlighted the appointment of Mr. Brown whom apparently was skilled at running show horse associations and raising campaign funds but not much at disaster management.   We could add the repetitive conduct of giving no bid contracts to companies for whom administration officials have worked, are still on retainer, and or who were the biggest contributors to the political campaigns of administration officials.   The highlight here of course would be Halliburton which received not only the Iraq contracts but also most of the Katrina contract.  In the case of Katrina it should be pointed out that it was mostly Halliburton subsidiaries who received the contracts.   We could then move to the legislative agenda where a majority of the administrations and Congress' actions have been to the benefit of major corporate campaign contributors.   We could begin here with drug companies and how Medicare is prevented from taking bids on drugs in order to get the best prices much like the Veterans Administration does.  This act alone I understand will only cost the taxpayers a mere billion or so a year.  We could add tax cuts for the very wealthy of which the administration and Congress are a part of at the expense of the middle class of which the administration and Congress are not a part.   I don't normally address tax issues because I am not particularly adept at it but even I can see that when you cut taxes and then turn around and borrow billions of dollars to fight an unjust war it is just plain bad checkbook management.
 
I would also like to say that I normally stick to military issues of which I know a little more about but form time to time I find I must comment on these types of issues when it becomes so egregious that it slaps me in the face.   That's what happened today.
 
Let me close this post with a quote from a true statesman, humanitarian, and gentle man (Space left intentionally) who understood the awesome power and responsibility of public office.   "The problem of power is how to achieve its responsible use rather than its irresponsible and indulgent use - of how to get men of power to live for the public rather than off the public."  Robert F. Kennedy (1925 - 1968), 'I Remember, I Believe,' The Pursuit of Justice, 1964
 
Those Are The Sergeant Majors Thoughts On That