Why Do Politicians Believe They Are Above the Law?

The tragic accident Governor Corzine of New Jersey experienced brings home the message that flouting the law ( not wearing a seat belt ) because you have acquired a position of political power is dangerous and politically foolish. There are only two ways to flout the law. Either rule over the law enforcement officers or evade them.

We have reluctantly allowed lawmakers to require us to do what we should do for our own safety via the seat belt and helmet laws et.al. The lawmakers have patted themselves on the head for requiring as much as is possible that the citizens act accordingly. Yet these same lawmakers and enforcement agents often decide they are not part of the masses and can do whatever they please ( as long as they don’t get caught). This is how criminals look at the law and when they get caught they claim the law is wrong, enforcement is selective and life is unfair. Because a law enforcement officer cannot enforce the law on his boss without losing his job, a chance at promotion or being shipped to an undesirable location, there really should be a separate category of punishment for those pompous politicians that impose but ignore the law.

When President Clinton lied to the nation the Democrats gave him a pass. Why? Because they recognized that if they were in the same position they too would want their actions to be considered common everyday flaws that deserved no more concern than snitched cookies. Don Imus lived for years on the edge of uncivilized behavior and the politicians that cozied up to him felt comfortable in the environment that reflected their world of getting away with the forbidden. And when people live this way they are astounded when they get caught. The common sense of decency that called for Imus’s head was a breath of fresh air reiterating in America heros are still held in high esteem and cheap shots are not to be ignored. And neither should the power luster in the New Jersey Governor’s office be given a pass for his poor example of motor vehicle safety and breaking the law he was elected to enforce.

This business of standing before a group of voters and telling them about the wrongs that will be righted while sneaking down back alleys once in office has become so blatant ,surely the outrage for Imus’s comments should carry over into the political arena where the same “get away with it if you can” attitude prevails. Governors can and should be fired when they show personal distain for the law they were hired to enforce. I’m sure Don Imus would be happy with a $46.00 fine but his flouting of the law of common decency required a more expensive penalty.

And what will be done about the exemption given a politician who simply is “unwilling to accept suggestions”? I didn’t realize obeying the law fell into a suggestion category. How many who have received seat belt citations were told it was “suggested” they buckle up? Should not the same courtesy given a whistle blower who exposes wrong doing be given to a law enforcement official who sees a violation of the law by his superior and acts accordingly? This type of power for elected officials is counter productive to the respect given the law and leads to unlimited exclusions for the pompous who claim they are “exceptions”.

These politicians who choose to govern with the expectation they fall into a privileged class need to recognize any deviation from the behavior they enforce on others will come at a high price. They have lived on the premise that punishment is a deterrent and they should feel the brunt of punishment when it is warranted by their irresponsible behavior. A sign along the road says “ Fines double in work zones”. This should read, “ Fines are quadrupled if you are a politician that is flouting a law you endorsed”.

If behavior commensurate with rhetoric was a requirement of office you would see a flock of political lemmings leaving government offices. It is not the high pay a profit making enterprise can offer that draws these hypocrites to public office. It is not a sense of public service. It is the privilege factor that reigns supreme. Why so so many Senators strive for the greater power of the Presidency? More privilege and nothing less. The candidates have no solutions for major issues. If they did they wouldn’t reveal them because they know their “colleagues” would clamp onto the idea and claim it for their own. This is the game they play with the prize being the benefits of privilege. Bowing and curtsy are the fluff they crave from those less elevated . The joke is they seek a respect that evades phoniness.

Reality has a way of exposing those who try to fake it. If you ignore safety procedures the consequences are often deadly. If you ignore human dignity on others you will lose your own. If you think you are above the law of reality there is a very powerful enforcement agent that does not flinch at your position but will promptly let you feel the bite of what is. The law of causality cannot be broken with impunity. As Francis Bacon pointed out, “Nature to be commanded must be obeyed.“ The word “must” does not denote a suggestion.