Last week a coura-geous and clear thinking airline pilot made a success-ful emer-gency landing in the Hudson River. Fortunately for all on board, the Federal Aviation Administration holds airline pilots to extremely high levels of competency and accountability.
Unfortunately, when it comes to the safety and welfare of our country as a whole, voters do not hold those who direct the federal government, the men and women who occupy our nation’s highest offices, to similarly high standards.
It is ironic that the inept politicians who steer our ship of state, those who carry the fate of millions in their hands, may blunder time and time again, putting us all repeatedly at risk, and yet they are permitted to retain their prestigious and high-profile positions.
Why is it that we require more of those whose actions may endanger 100 people than we do of those whose actions may endanger millions?
In light of the severe financial debacle that recently has engulfed our country, a disaster that is due largely to the incompetence and inattention of our leaders, isn’t it about time we voters started looking more deeply into the qualifications of those whose hands are upon the nation’s helm? Shouldn’t we be inquiring into their credentials and backgrounds a little more thoroughly?
What does it say about us, as citizens of a free and democratic society, when we are willing to go on exposing ourselves and our children to avoidable dangers and hardships simply because we are too lazy to look into the qualifications of those who lead us or aspire to lead us?
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