MOMMY!

This self-service McDonald’s is bullshit.

I got an interesting email today from a friend. He wanted to know how I felt about ex-Presidents getting involved in current affairs. Specifically he was referring to an Op/Ed piece that Jimmy Carter (fellow Georgian!) published recently in the Washington Post.

The particulars of the article aren’t important, but the problem lies in the perceived value of this man’s opinions. Certainly, his experience is valuable in allowing him to speak intelligently and profoundly on issues concerning the country. His seeming wisdom is a benefit, as he was elected president, he must be a fairly reasonable and sage man.

But I disagree that his opinion should be valued any higher than another “pundit.” After all, Jimmy Carter hasn’t been in office in 22 years. Certainly, his level of familiarity with the state of affairs is no better than the rest of that read the newspaper. Carter has the causes that he champions which keep him in the national eye, but are we to believe that he has access to information that the rest of us do not. If that is the case, if it’s true that ex-Presidents are affecting our national policy, shouldn’t the American people know about it. Shouldn’t we have the right to say, “We voted this guy out because we didn’t like the way he handled this issue in the first place.”

While it seems a bit preposterous to imagine a cabal of ex-Presidents gathering together and deciding the fate of the country or in any way influencing domestic or foreign policy, it is clear that some, like Carter, are trying to do so, in public and in the press. With a perceived value of opinion because he was once President, this man, and those ex-Presidents who do similar things, are using an unfair and unbalanced platform to profess their ideals and beliefs.

Certainly, it is the democratic ideal that all people will have their voices heard, especially when it comes to committing the lives of others to war. I found it hard to believe, however, that my article would have been printed instead of Jimmy Carter’s. So, not only will his opinions be taken more seriously than mine, but they heard farther and louder.

What’s wrong with that, you may say? The problem is that he is held to no greater responsibility than am I. The things that he says are taken to mean more, but if they were injurious or harmful, his responsibility would be no less than that of a normal citizen. It’s a terrible cliche, but power begs responsibility and in a situation such as this, power shirks that yoke.