arrogance of self importance

Senator Jim Demint (R ) South Carolina, is refusing to consider the nominee to head the TSA, because the nominee, Erroll Southers has not stated whether he is in favor of allowing the employees of the TSA to unionize or not. Senator Demint has made it very clear that underpaid TSA workers with little ability to receive fair and decent wages and or benefits make for safer airport security in America. The Senator assumes not allowing any TSA employee the right to complain, or bargain and or strike (because their work environment is poor, or their grievances go unheard) will motivate those who are hired to protect our safety be more concerned and do a more professional job. (AND the Senator knows that the majority of individuals in a union usually vote Democratic.)

Senator Demint, never once questioned how much money we were paying the legions of paid for hire (working there without having to abide by any U.S. laws) Blackwater mercenaries to fight in Iraq. The Senator never questioned the outrageous no bid contracts paid to Halliburton and their subsidiaries to supply everything from tainted bottled water to under protected vehicles being attacked by improvised explosive devices (IED’s). And the Senator never once commented on the misleading budgets presented by the Bush/Cheney administration allowing both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to be supplementary budget additions, (to make the deficit look less than it really was). (THESE expenses paid big money to corporations who were a part of his donor base.)

No, Senator Demint, sits upon his perch in Washington bathing in the arrogance of self importance. His decisions are not based on fact but on Politics. His choices in solving a problem are hard wired to being re-elected. His cause is not for the greater good but designed for the self serving desserts he must dine upon to sooth his hunger for being important. His arrogance, setting his needs above all else is His priority.

Senator Orin Hatch (R ) Utah, who has served in the Senate for 33 years, has said “…Six years ago it was standard practice not to pay for things…” During the Bush/Cheney dictatorship while the Republicans were in the majority of both the House and the Senate, spending grew, the deficit grew, and fiscal responsibility diminished. The Republicans were in the driver’s seat, and all the corporations paying fewer taxes, less wages, more lobbyist money to most (Republican) Politicians had a field day designing policy for America. The rich continued to get richer and gluttony was the main course. Senator Hatch never said “no” to any bill that helped the underwriters of his candidacy, and as long as the poor and middle class had little power, he (Senator Hatch) could rest assured few questions of his moral and ethical character would be asked.

The Senator has been an opponent of Health Care Reform and somehow can not allow millions of Americans to receive the same kind of benefits and coverage he has freeloaded for his family and himself for the past 33 years. (Wonder when the last time he had to worry about a preexisting condition, or deciding to by prescription drugs over, say food?!)

Now all of the sudden at the request of the Pharma-Conglomerates and the Health Industry Cartel, the Senator has decided that the Senate has to pay for things. So while he (Senator Hatch) voted for the funding of the Wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, tax cuts for the wealthy, a continuation of his Government sponsored health care for 33 years, he has placed a line in the sand, and decided that those under insured, uninsured tens of millions of Americans will just have to place a stiff upper lip and wait a little longer for equitable, fair, affordable health care. This is America and you’ve got to earn your keep. (Maybe all those uninsured Americans should run for office and get free government health care like Senator Hatch.)

Senator Hatch, can comfortably sit in his ivory tower and pontificate about the ills of over spending, as long as the President asking for change in spending habits is a Democrat. He can suddenly become fiscally responsible and try and stop treating Americans as equals when it comes to health care. He can laugh about the good ole’ days and never paying for outrageous deficits because that was then and the Republicans were in charge. This is now and the Democrats are in the majority and who knows what recognizable humanity they may provide for the less fortunate.

Senator Hatch did not stay in office for 33 years helping the poor; nope he maintained his status as Senator allowing the rich to remain rich so he could remain in office. The arrogance of self importance! He has spent most of his professional career in Washington, among perks and privilege. When you are removed from reality for 33 years your arrogance helps create a sense of importance, and you no longer see yourself as anything but greater than.

The arrogance of self importance is not a trait owned by Politicians alone. Nope, as long as any individual can spend more, own more, yell louder than, get paid more than the common man/woman they assume they are entitled to be arrogant. As long as the common man/woman permits those who pontificate and proselytize, to perform with little scrutiny they grow more arrogant. As long as the common man/woman give up, give in, don’t give a damn, those who seek power take it and in return become more arrogant.

When do we stop this mad cycle and disallow this arrogance of self importance? When do we begin to make those accused of arrogance of self importance become accountable to more than themselves? When?