One of the most difficult attributes to detect in a human being is whether or not a person is trustworthy. Trustworthy in the sense of looking out for the welfare of others over self.
Political parties are among the worst mechanisms invented by mankind to accomplish the task. In selecting our candidates for public office, they only rarely find a gem of a human being. Even when successful in identifying the quality, the success is a byproduct of their true quest - find a person who can be elected above all else.
Accordingly, governance is all too often are staffed by those serving self-interest over the public interest. And the consequences are often disastrous.
One America's most trustworthy leaders was, of course Abraham Lincoln.
From our elementary school days, we all remember the story of a young Lincoln walking miles to return a few cents overcharged a customer.
And as a lawyer (many people do not think lawyers are trustworthy), there are numerous stories of his trustworthiness.
From the website After Hours Inspiration comes stories of the honesty of Abe, to wit:
Lincoln didn't like to charge people much who were as poor as he was. Once a man sent him twenty-five dollars, but Lincoln sent him back ten of it, saying he was being too generous.
He was known at times to convince his clients to settle their issue out of court, saving them a lot of money, and earning himself nothing.
An old woman in dire poverty, the widow of a Revolutionary soldier, was charged $200 for getting her $400 pension. Lincoln sued the pension agent and won the case for the old woman. He didn't charge her for his services and, in fact, paid her hotel bill and gave her money to buy a ticket home!The common denominator of the foregoing stories? Others over self!
And those are the kinds of candidates/officials we need more than ever in our townships, villages, cities, and states; indeed, at the national level.
But neither political party produces them as a matter of primary endeavor.
Stark Dems meet tonight to select both an interim county treasurer and a candidate for the upcoming November election for the office. Tomorrow night the Republicans have their go at selecting a candidate.
Odds are that each will select a self-serving type and over time the general public will sense that they have been betrayed once again by the choices the political parties offer.
And that, my friends, is why scarcely a little over 20% of Americans say they trust their government at any level!
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