| Jay posted earlier on the lead paint scandal resulting from free trade with countries with lax public safety laws (and the gutting of our own public safety protections by e. coli conservatives). But there's something I wanted to add.
When people died because of incompetence by the Chinese government, Hu Jintao didn't say, "Heckuva job, Zhengie." In fact, the Chinese government straight-up executed the man who had been responsible for food safety.
Now, I think execution is going too far in terms of punishment, but the difference between Chinese reaction and American reaction to utter corruption, malfeasance, and incompetence in government is striking. Accountability, it seems, no longer exists among the ruling class in America. You could literally screw up everything. You'll be handed a pension and an honorable discharge (if you're discharged at all).
This isn't just true in American government. It's increasingly true in the private sector. It's the mindset that claims Pat Davison is being unfairly punished, that Scooter Libby should get off scot free for lying to a grand jury and obstructing an investigation, that pay should be set by peer compensation not performance, and that CEOs deserve millions in bonuses regardless of how well they do their job.
Now, just to pre-empt the seemingly inevitable "But what about the Clenis?!?!?!?!," I, like many progressive Americans, didn't like what Bill Clinton did -- we just didn't think it was an impeachable offense. In fact, you may remember that the radical group known as MoveOn.org got its start calling for Clinton's censure.
So where's the accountability in America today? And can anyone honestly even imagine a moment when Bush might punish one of his lackies, much less execute one of them? |
