E.J. Dionne: We Need a Civilian ‘ROTC'

[marmar]

from Truthdig:



We Need a Civilian ‘ROTC'

Posted on Nov 16, 2009
By E.J. Dionne


Imagine a time when government work was exciting, widely admired and much sought after.

It seems an outlandish thought at a moment when you cannot turn on your television without hearing government spoken of as almost an alien creature. It is cast as far removed from the lives of average Americans and more likely to destroy the achievements of private citizens than to accomplish anything worthwhile.

True, we don’t apply our anti-government sentiments to at least one group of Americans who draw government paychecks: our men and women in uniform. All the polls show they are, deservedly, held in high esteem. But civilians who do the daily work of government are more likely to be referred to as “bureaucrats,” “time servers” and various unprintable things than as public servants.

This has not always been the American way. There were important eras in our history when citizens in large numbers were drawn to government service with a sense of mission and exhilaration. The New Deal was certainly such a time, and so were the days of the New Frontier and (it is unjustly derided now) the Great Society. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20091115_we_need_a_civilian_rotc/?ln

[Demeter]

1. Will They Wear Brown Shirts?

I always thought that was what the National Guard was for, before Bush shanghaiied them into the active army.