Political rant du jour
An article in the Sunday Times Online suggests that the George Walker Bush Presidential Library may become a "white elephant," costing more to maintain than it's value to history and posterity. Naturally, such benefits are difficult at best to ascertain, but given President Bush's executive order allowing him to exclude from the library's collection of presidential papers any material he desires, the reason for being for a taxpayer-funded (in part, primarily archival staffing) presidential library is entirely undermined. These libraries exist to allow history to have a comprehensive and unedited perspective on the terms of former presidents so that their actions and legacies may be understood freely and without political spin.
Since Mr. Bush has seen fit to construct a library which will only reflect as much of the truth about his presidency as he deems fit for public consumption, and not one which serves the purposes for which taxpayer money supports such institutions, it is incumbent upon the incoming Congress to make certain that no taxpayer money is allowed to support this institution unless it is given unfettered access to the records of the Bush presidency. Any other course, even without regard for the current economic crisis, would not only undermine the concept of preserving government records for the benefit of the people, but would establish a precedent effectively funding monuments of their own design to each and every president. Such monuments would cheapen the accomplishments of those leaders whom the people choose to honor by the construction of public monuments, and would effectively denigrate the very history of our nation.
I call upon the members of the United States Congress to reject loudly and promptly the notion that any person should be awarded the resources of the nation with which to staff an enduring monument to himself. This must be done without regard for the deeds and accomplishments of the President, whatever they may be, because the integrity of the principle -- like the institutions it is intended to support -- is independent of political consideration.
Since Mr. Bush has seen fit to construct a library which will only reflect as much of the truth about his presidency as he deems fit for public consumption, and not one which serves the purposes for which taxpayer money supports such institutions, it is incumbent upon the incoming Congress to make certain that no taxpayer money is allowed to support this institution unless it is given unfettered access to the records of the Bush presidency. Any other course, even without regard for the current economic crisis, would not only undermine the concept of preserving government records for the benefit of the people, but would establish a precedent effectively funding monuments of their own design to each and every president. Such monuments would cheapen the accomplishments of those leaders whom the people choose to honor by the construction of public monuments, and would effectively denigrate the very history of our nation.
I call upon the members of the United States Congress to reject loudly and promptly the notion that any person should be awarded the resources of the nation with which to staff an enduring monument to himself. This must be done without regard for the deeds and accomplishments of the President, whatever they may be, because the integrity of the principle -- like the institutions it is intended to support -- is independent of political consideration.