Accountability Is Not For The Powerful

Why is it so difficult to hold anyone accountable these days? Oh, if you or I break the law we will find ourselves being held accountable very quickly. Yet those who are really making the decisions in our world today do not seem to be playing by the same rules as the rest of us. If we have no claim on authority that is either divine, hereditary, or somehow comes with the position one holds we most assuredly will be held accountable. But for the real power brokers all around us, not only are they not being held to account, the notion that they should be held to account is simply not acceptable. Consider some of the examples mentioned below.

Let's start with the Roman Catholic Bishops who have been circling the wagons around Pope Benedict as continuing sex abuse accusations are revealed. Not only is there a lack of accountability, but there appears to be no sense that any accountability is required or even appropriate. Donald Cozzens in a recent National Catholic Reporter article says not to expect accountability from the last feudal system in the West. Accountablility offends the dignity of divinely appointed teachers of the Church. Calls for accountability are seen as attacks on the Church. Also, as princes in a feudal caste system they are answerable only to their sovereign, in this case the Pope. Cozzens further mentions that a well known Protestant theologian, Paul Tillich, pointed out many years ago that those who see fit to judge the world and its standards need to be subject to judgement in the same manner. Yet, because of its adherence to an antiquated feudal structure, it will be very difficult for the Church to allow itself to be held accountable.

Corporate bigwigs on Wall Street have never gotten the message. They are worth billions and don't need to answer to anyone. If you saw them as they sat in front of Congressional oversight Committees, their faces were just dripping with arrogance and disdain as they made no attempt to answer any questions or even suggest that they understood why people were angry. These corporations represent the source of tea party anger as well as anger throughout the electorate. They continue their lack of sensitivity by strongly opposing the financial regulation bill. They seem to firmly believe that the government should give them everything they want even though they have failed to be good stewards of the largesse they have received from all of us in the past.

Oil company executives in the Gulf are another group that don't get it. BP CEO Tony Hayward said the size of the oil spill is irrelevent. His style is arrogant and confrontational. He noted that the Gulf of Mexico is a very big ocean and the spill is tiny in comparison. Apparently BP doesn't need to follow safety regulations. The reports coming out of the Gulf are increasingly disturbing, but it seems to be business as usual for the company. Can people still believe with Calvin Coolidge that what is good for business is good for the country?

The only place I don't see this sense of entitlement is in government. Yet, everyone is angry at government. Is it possible that some of this anger may be misdirected? Of course it is easy to criticize government. They make many mistakes and do many things wrong. Excessive partisanship has made getting things done nearly impossible. There are often unintended consequences even when they try to do something good. But I don't think government comes close to being the problem that the other culprits I've mentioned are.

Let's take a quick look at 'big government' that is so often cited as the problem. I recommend that you read Tom Schaller's article in the Baltimore Sun, dated May 18th and entitled "A Far Cry Indeed from Socialism". Data he points to indicates that of the 31 first world countries, taxes in the United States make up the lowest percentage of GDP. Of these same countries U.S. policies have the least distributive effect on income. Interestingly, those real socialist countries like Denmark, Norway and Finland seem to best espouse American values of hard work, effort and personal ingenuity. It is in the U.S. where who your Dad is counts more than what you personally bring to the table. Of 25 industrialized countries we are actually the least socialist. We have the lowest level of taxation, the lowest degree of distribution of wealth, and the highest level of poverty.

So, I would contend that our government is accountable to us, whereas Wall Street and major corporations are not. In fact our governemnt has the greatest accountability of all - democratic elections. It likely represents our best hope of bringing some accountability to the corporations and Wall Street tycoons who see themselves as above the normal rules of living in an interdependent world. I don't know what hope there is for bringing accountability to the Church, although that is also going to have to come from people in the pews demanding it and even withholding their contributions. As for government it might be helpful to tone down the continuing tirades against it. Destroying government is not the answer. The small government of the Libertarians will not get us where we need to be in the 21st century. The result will only be to give more power to Wall Street, the oil companies, the coal companies, chemical companies and others. That is why these companies spend so much money to prevent serious financial and other kinds of regulations from being enacted. We need to work to make government better so that it can effectively advocate for the little guy instead of the giants of corporate America.

Immigration Reform, Now

The new Arizona law on immigration can be seen as a reaction to legitimate concerns arising out of violence and potential violence at the border. At the same time it can also provide the impetus needed for the country to move to meaningful, comprehensive immigration reform. Hopefully, it will indeed serve as an opportunity to address an issue that we have failed to address for far too long. We know that the drug cartels have created a dangerous situation in the area, including the shooting of Americans for no apparent reason. Fear and violence is the order of the day. The border needs to be protected.

Yet, to most students or even casual observers of the constitution this new law seems draconian, an over reaction, and quite frankly unamerican. The situation has served to energize people to move at times in opposite directions. On the one hand, It seems that we are ready to have the authorities stop us with the notorious demand, 'papers, please'. In fact, polls suggest that a majority of Americans favor the Arizona law which at the same time has sparked outrage, demonstrations, talks of boycotts, and even a response from the Phoenix Suns and the National Basketball Association. Once again it seems that the country is split down the middle in what ought to be the appropriate response to this new immigration crisis.

Many are already making vociferous protest. San Francisco has officially decided that no city officials will do business in Arizona. Many others have adjusted travel plans to avoid the state. Is econmoic boycott the answer? It seemed to work when the state refused to adopt Martin Luther King day as a holiday in the state. Even cities in Arizona are boycotting the law, so there is clearly no unanimity even within the state of Arizona. We have seen thousands upon thousands of Latinos and others take to the streets in protest. The Catholic Church has been unyielding in its opposition.

Legal avenues for attacking the constitutionality of this law are also being explored. Some lawsuits have already been filed and the justice department is looking into appropriate federal action. For one thing immigration appears to clearly be a federal issue and not one to be delegated to the states. One possible avenue would be for the government to file a friend of the court brief together with an already proceeding lawsuit. These avenues will play out over time, but the continued and ever growing polarization on this issue demands action now.

It's not as if this is a new issue. The problem has been festering for decades. The last real attempt under President Bush and with the strong backing of Senator John McCain, failed because of overheated rhetoric and commentators like Lou Dobbs. Lou Dobbs is gone but the rhetoric is heating up again. How do we have a reasonable conversation about immigration? Do people want to solve the problem or do they want to use the issue to play partisan politics? How do we get away from the rhetoric and get something done? If the bill is brought up will we be faced with the outcries we had when Geoge Bush and John McCain tried to pass a bill? Or is it possible that we actually have a window of opportunity where something positive could happen?

Is it possible that despite the cacaphony of voices, we may not be as far apart on the goal as it may seem. We actually have a pretty good idea of what needs to be done. The bill that Senators Leiberman, Kerry, and Graham have been working on pretty much contains all the elements needed to resolve this issue once and for all. These elements include securing the borders, some kind of card that could be used to gain employment, a guest worker program, and a reasonable path to citizenship. The problem is we can't get the job done. Too many other issues need attention, such as financial reform and the energy bill. Besides, the fall elections are coming up and no one wants to address the issue now. It is politically a bad idea for both democrats and republicans. Should that really matter? The Arizona law and its fallout reflect the need. Something must be done. Isn't that why we send our representatives to congress? Courage and leadership are the only ingredients that are lacking at this time. Where will they come from?

I believe in compromise, but I also believe in results. If you are doing your job and lose it as a result of your efforts, so be it. The problem has existed long enough and it has now come to a head. I expect my representatives to go to work and resolve the problem before we have more laws like the one in Arizona, more demonstrations, riots, increased polarization, and violence. Now is the time. We have waited too long. America is waiting. The time to act is now. The American people hired this congress to solve problems. This one needs solving, and it needs solving now.