A new word, poorly defined, has entered the official lexicon: wastefraudandabuse.
John M. Barry, writing about catastrophes during the 1920s in Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How it Changed America, notes about the deference given by many to the wealthy, “They had the power of the times, when it was believed that men with money were not only better than others but acted better.” In the America Barry was writing about, there were often good reasons that supported such beliefs. The small-town banker, lawyer, and local business owner were indeed often the richest people around, but they prospered most when their communities thrived. These wealthy men had a stake in knowing about their towns. Their knowledge, while deep in some ways, was often incomplete in others, as Barry makes clear, but the small towners’ success depended on and benefited others in the community. Thus their decisions often were good for a broad swath of the people around them.
Today we have a country run by the ultra-wealthy. I don’t know how many still believe that these people are not only better than others but act better. I think few. They are unlike the wealthy of the small-town America of a century ago. First of all, they have a lot more money. There are some around Trump who have hundreds of millions of dollars, but they are pikers compared to the many sitting around the table who have billions. A community ethos and concern did not produce their riches. Even so, because they have amassed fortunes beyond our (and maybe even their own) imaginations, they (and maybe a few benighted others) feel they must be meritorious. As Jean Rostand, the French scientist, historian, and philosopher said, “Merit envies success, and success takes itself for merit.” These ultra-wealthy think, “I have made untold money. Therefore, I am successful. Therefore, I must have merit. And therefore, it is right that I should rule over the less meritorious [read, ‘less wealthy’].”
However, success in one field does not necessarily mean wisdom or even common sense in another. You can come up with your own examples, but billionaires in government do not necessarily represent the best, the most meritorious in government.
A wise person said: “There are plenty of people in the world with good reputations who have never been found out.”
Proverbs: “Four things on earth are small, but they are exceedingly wise: the ants are a people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer; the badgers are a people not mighty, yet they make their homes in the rocks; the locusts have no king, yet all of them march in rank; the lizard you can take in your hands, yet it is in kings’ palaces.”
“Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time.” Steve Wright.
