23 September, 2014

Snap Out of It - NYTimes.com

Snap Out of It - NYTimes.com:

This
leadership crisis is eminently solvable. First, we need to get over the
childish notion that we don’t need a responsible leadership class, that
power can be wielded directly by the people. America was governed best
when it was governed by a porous, self-conscious and responsible elite —
during the American revolution, for example, or during and after World
War II. Karl Marx and Ted Cruz may believe that power can be wielded
directly by the masses, but this has almost never happened historically.

Second,
the elite we do have has to acknowledge that privilege imposes duties.
Wealthy people have an obligation to try to follow a code of seemliness.
No luxury cars for college-age kids. No private jet/ski weekends. Live a
lifestyle that is more integrated into middle-class America than the
one you can actually afford. Strike a blow for social cohesion.
Powerful
people might follow a code of public spiritedness. That means
restraining your partisan passions and parochial interests for the sake
of domestic tranquility. Re-establish the lines between public service
and private enrichment.