Friday, January 08, 2010
The Presidency
The President of the United States has to be the most thankless job in the known universe. I heard someone on the radio say the other day that Obama is "destroying the very fabric of the America that we grew up in." Wow. I'll bet he wishes he had that sort of power. Actually, of course, the President can't hardly go to the bathroom without somebody following him in and keeping him safe. How the hell you're supposed to do anything at all creative when nobody will ever leave you the heck alone is beyond me. And of course, the most recent past prez, you know, Shrubby the Bush as I like to call him, was vilified far beyond what his level of incompetence called for. He did not, contrary to what I've heard, cancel the constitution or institute a police state. I bet he wished he could do some of that, but thanks to the fact that any idiot, including present company, can pretty much say whatever he wants to, nobody can do such a thing in this country. I could say similar things about Clinton and Bush the Elder (the one with a brain) but I think I've done enough damage to individual presidents for one day.
The reason I mention all that is that I'd like to propose that we amend the way we select presidents. Instead of an interminable election, how about every six years, or eight, or whatever seems fair, we draft one eligible citizen, and that poor schmuck or schmuckette is stuck with the job. I would cap eligibility for the draft at seventy, though. I'd hate to think we killed anyone outright. Just think of the benefits we'd accrue. For one thing, instead of somebody crazy enough to actually volunteer for the job, we'd get someone sane enough to avoid it. Of course, the truly sane might just emigrate to Canada. In the middle of the night. With their headlights off. But still, we'd have a president who was truly one of the people at last. Think of it: we could get a new Lincoln, or Daniel Webster, or FDR or JFK or Homer Simpson!
Really, just think it over. I'm sure you'll come around to my way of seeing things.
Steve
The reason I mention all that is that I'd like to propose that we amend the way we select presidents. Instead of an interminable election, how about every six years, or eight, or whatever seems fair, we draft one eligible citizen, and that poor schmuck or schmuckette is stuck with the job. I would cap eligibility for the draft at seventy, though. I'd hate to think we killed anyone outright. Just think of the benefits we'd accrue. For one thing, instead of somebody crazy enough to actually volunteer for the job, we'd get someone sane enough to avoid it. Of course, the truly sane might just emigrate to Canada. In the middle of the night. With their headlights off. But still, we'd have a president who was truly one of the people at last. Think of it: we could get a new Lincoln, or Daniel Webster, or FDR or JFK or Homer Simpson!
Really, just think it over. I'm sure you'll come around to my way of seeing things.
Steve
Labels: Humor, Politics, Social Commentary
