Governments

Whether a duly elected government or a pseudo government such as a commission, a homeowners association, a motorcycle club or any number of governing bodies, very soon the governors fall into the trap of a self-serving body that strives to perpetuate itself. Its purpose quickly migrates from selfless, community service to one of purposeful self-service, self-promotion, self-enrichment, self-perpetuation. Apparently, it's the playing out of human nature.

I know. I shouldn't stereotype all governments or government-like organizations and all the people who serve in leadership roles within these bodies. Unfortunately, it's difficult not to so stigmatize people this way. Maybe it's a flaw in my character, but I am always looking for ulterior motives. So often the broad categorization of self-service is apt.

I would like to think that people are better than my cynical view suggests, but you so often see the worst: A homeowners association board of directors on which a couple of its members receive the majority of the maintenance and upkeep contractor bids for the community. Maybe it is just coincidence that they seem always to place the lowest bid or best match the preset parameters of the bid request.

Homeowner boards, the city commission, the county commission, the state legislature, the governor, state elected national politicians, sometimes even the president bows to the enticement of self-aggrandizement.

So how do we overcome this problem? Will strong ethics codes, close scrutiny of ethical performance, severe penalties for failure to meet community standards ...what will cure the problem?

I suspect the problem boils down to voter apathy. Whether constituents are voting for the homeowners board, the city commission, the governor, a senator or the president, it takes 100% of us casting reasonably intelligent votes. Unfortunately, our elections are considered high turn-out in many cases when 15-25% of those eligible take the time to vote. In a recent election of our homeowner board members, not enough people turned out to the annual meeting (or submitted their proxies) to validate an election. Consequently, these same two self-serving members continue to sit on the board ...making decisions that serve their personal business interests whether or not the decisions are good for the community at large. And so, we are condemned to live with the results.

A recent election held to elect our city commission had a turn-out of about 15%.

Seems as though we did the same in the 2010 state and national elections. Now we have a dysfunctional US House of Representatives, a radical state legislature and a governor drummed out of the company that he founded when the federal courts found that company guilty (some question if the company was found guilty, or settled out of court before the verdict was delivered) of Medicare fraud. By the way, Governor Scott's company paid a hefty fine. (In late 2002, HCA agreed to pay the U.S. government $631 million, plus interest, and pay $17.5 million to state Medicaid agencies, in addition to $250 million paid up to that point to resolve outstanding Medicare expense claims.[24] In all, civil law suits cost HCA more than $2 billion to settle, by far the largest fraud settlement in US history.) Apparently, this is what kept him and other HCA executives from prison terms, delivered Scott up to Florida as a governor candidate and with the ignorance of Florida voters has him now serving his term in the Florida Governors Mansion.

Self-service anyone? Tastes pretty good if you are able to escape prison.