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andrew sullivan calls bush and cheney "radicals" for the way they governed with their policies on torture, executive powers, etc.

as i have stated i am a member of the "cynic" party. there is good and bad in both parties in policies and people. the parties i like are the "rockerfeller republicians" (almost extinct) and the "humphry democrats" (almost extinct"). today i see most politicians as absorbed in self interest and the interests of who gives them the most money. the corruption runs deep in today's government and the lack of "greatness" shows.

i lament the lack of leadership today in comparison to the past where the idea of doing what was best for the country and "people" (quaint idea, i know) came first. people were ruled by an inner moral compas that told them how to act and doing what was best for self came second. look at hubert humphry who in 1948 led the fight for a plank in the democratic party calling for an end to segregation even though it would be harmful to getting votes in the up coming election. look at lyndon johnson who when he signed the civil rights bills said "there goes the South for a generation". look at daniel patrick moynihan who told the truth where minority communities were heading unless they changed their behavior and was called a "racist" (his predictions pretty much can true). look at robert kennedy who felt a war was wrong and had the courage to challenge a sitting president of his own party. look at washington, adams, jefferson, hamilton, lincoln, wilson and the small stature of today's leaders shows. for these people the idea of the "greater good" came ahead of "what's best for me".

today i see corruption with pork used to reward party faithful even though it hurts the country with deficit spending. i see campaign contributors rewarded at the expense of the public in general. i see a government who thinks their job is to spend and not set priorities; take california where annual deficits have brought the state to a terrible place. as tax revenues boomed during good times, spending grew even faster! during the boom years with huge increases in tax revenue, the state ran a deficit; the governemnt could not control their spending so when there was a slow down in revenues, the shit hit the fan and now no one seems capable of a solutition. in fact, the current government cry seems to be that the problem is that there are not enough taxes. there is "smoke and mirrors" used in budgets and the lack of honesty is frightening. politicians say one thing and do another.

today on the fourth of july, i am amazed at how radical the idea of self governmrnt was; the "people" not a king would rule and set the agenda; governemnt was for the benefit of the "people" and not a monarch and royalty. many in europe thought it was an idea doomed to fail as the "people" could not be trusted to do the right thing and look beyond their self interest. but again and again with great leadership, the united states not only survived but came to the rescue of europe. today i am fearful when i look at our collective leadership. i hope and pray that the great experiment of self rule continues to be a light unto nations and the betterment of mankind. in 1776, visionaries took a path to an unkown way of government and while that path had good and bad ups and downs, i believe on balance it was a great path built on great ideas. the declaration of independence was followed by a constitution that can still today more than two centuries later give us guidance in how to govern ourselves.

we are blessed that those men came together in 1776. may their ideas continue to govern us for the betterment of all.