I have a question.  When did politicians and federal employees start calling themselves “public servants”?  Even more importantly, why are we letting them?  It’s almost as if they’re trying to claim the mantle of nobility for making a sacrifice in the public interest.  But I don’t understand what that sacrifice is.  They’re paid better and have better benefits than most private-sector employees.  They’re rarely held accountable for their performance.  Why do we treat them as if they’re serving a higher calling than any other profession in the country?

Take Joe Biden, for example.  He claims to have been in public service for over 50 years.  But what has he done in that time?  He was the first senator to initiate a personal attack on a Supreme Court nominee.  His attack on Robert Bork was shameful, and helped create the current environment of Supreme Court politicization.  He also used the power of his office to enrich his family members.  Exactly how did lunch-bucket Joe become a multimillionaire on the salary of a politician?  I fail to see how that has been a service to the country.

Joe certainly isn’t alone. Was Nancy Pelosi serving the public interests when she withheld COVID-19 relief for months -- just to deny President Trump a win?  Was she also serving her constituents when she bought stock in Tesla just days before President Asterisk signed an order directing all agencies to switch to electric cars?  There’s a term for that -- “insider trading.”  Being the civic-minded public servant she is, I’m sure she’ll be sharing her windfall with her constituents.

It’s not all about money.  Some politicians have a completely different idea of providing service.  Eric Swalwell placed himself in servitude to a Chinese spy.  Exactly what “service” did Eric provide?  Was it anything that would allow him to claim nobility?  I mean in the U.S. -- not in China.

Let’s not forget the bureaucrats that “serve” our nation.  Look at the EPA. They’re good at two things -- choking the life out of commerce, and polluting rivers.

In the name of serving the public interest, the IRS targeted the Tea Party, thus silencing their voice in the midst of a presidential campaign.  They also leaked confidential tax records to the press, and provided tax records to the FBI without a warrant.  Isn’t it noble of them to poke us in the eye while taking our money?  Perhaps the next time you’re at the grocery store checkout, the clerk should send your shopping list to child protective services rather than thank you.  It would be the “public servant” thing to do.

Don’t forget the FBI. It’s in a class all by itself.  Our sworn law enforcement agents initiated a coup attempt against a duly elected president.  They set a perjury trap for his national security advisor.  They even falsified evidence to a FISA court.

I’ve heard the arguments that the FBI rank and file are honest and professional.  We shouldn’t blame the whole FBI for a “few bad apples.”  What complete balderdash!  If most of them were honest, where were the whistleblowers during the investigation of President Trump?  As far as being professional, how did they fail to prevent the Boston Marathon bombing -- even after they’d received a tip that the Tsarnaevs were up to something?  I have the same question about the Pulse Nightclub massacre.  Was it also just a “few bad apples” that tried to frame Richard Jewell for the Atlanta Olympics bombing?  The FBI even had warnings about the 9/11 attack, yet failed to act.

Of course, our highly professional FBI agents were able to determine that a noose was really a garage-door pull.  It only required 15 agents and five days to make that determination.  That is some cunning police work!  It appears that the FBI is either using their badges to target political enemies, or they’re just a modern-day version of the Keystone Cops in tailored suits.  But sacrificing for the public interest -- I’m not seeing it.

These are just a few examples.  The other alphabet soup agencies aren’t any better.  Employees across all federal agencies formed the “resistance” to fight all things Trump.  They gave us four years of leaks and unconfirmed anonymous sources undermining anything Donald Trump tried to accomplish.  They did it all because they decided we needed something other than what we voted for.  How would you rate a waiter that brings you want they want to serve you, not what you ordered?

Spare me the claims of nobility.  Who’s really laboring to benefit the country?  Is it politicians and bureaucrats whose only focus seems to be amassing power and choking commerce?  Or is it the nameless workers who get up at dawn every day to keep this country running.  The real nobility belongs to the farmers who put meals on our tables, the truckers who ensure supplies arrive on time, and the linemen that keep the lights on.  As for our self-proclaimed federal “public servants,” -- they’re overpaid employees with lifetime job security, at best.  At worst, they’re parasites on society with aspirations to become our rulers.

The next time a politician or bureaucrat says they’re “serving” me -- I have one thing to say: I want my tip back.

John Green is a political refugee from Minnesota, now residing in Star Idaho. He is a retired engineer with over 40 years of experience in the areas of product development, quality assurance, organizational development, and corporate strategic planning. He can be reached at greenjeg@gmail.com

Image: Pixabay