The man who would be king

By Dave Ward, Corvallis

The old Chinese curse of “May you live in interesting times,” has certainly been playing out malignantly for the past 3 or 4 years.

As a country, we have gone from being just loyal everyday Americans, to having to be either a MAGAot or a dirty lib, with no middle ground in between. Now everyone on either side is being despised and ridiculed as un-American and traitorous by whichever side has the microphone. It’s time for this nonsense to stop and for all Americans to take a step back and see that living with the most corrupt man in America’s history as our “stable genius” in charge has delivered us to the doorstep of doom.

There’s more than enough blame to spread around, but In reality, we’re all to blame. It was we voters who put our faith and our votes in people who were not worthy of either. And all the nonvoters out there? You’re the ones who put Trump in office. You and the Russians.

We’re in “IT” now though, whatever this dangerous time will be called in the future, and I fear there may be no coming back to reason and civility. Our politicians are corrupt beyond measure and our courts have been defiled and stacked with political jokes who have no judicial experience outside of their own criminal lives.

I can almost hear the Republicans dismissing what I’m trying to say here. They are tuning out because the truth is just so painful. They know the truth. You know it too. Know this though, before you go, Republicans. For most of my 68 years as an American I was privileged to vote as an interested and engaged independent. Republican, Democrat, Independent made no matter. I only wanted the best person to get the job. Not the person who could sell him or herself for the most cash, but the person who might best do the job at hand. That’s not how it works anymore.

Our system’s broken, folks, and it’s starting to feel like maybe it’s unfixable. That scares me, and it should scare you too.

It’s not going to change or even start to get better until we start putting folks in office that have our best interests at heart instead of their own personal greed. Greed for money. Greed for power and don’t forget, that that power, that money, and that position they want so badly will go to their privileged children later. They don’t give a damn about your kids or your money or your problems, it’s all about them and their almost holy quest for money, money, money. We’re left with lies, lies, lies.

Above and beyond the stench coming off this whole new normal, which I find to be almost medieval, we have public servants who act like they’ve been elevated to royalty and now have a barony or fief to lord over. With no one to answer to, save the king. All expecting to get something out of their service. Something that he or she could pass on to his or her kids. Maybe a dukedom or count’s title to add to the family name. Spineless Duke Daines has that certain ring to it as does Sir Greg, the groveling baron of Bozeman . No one has ever gotten something for nothing in the history of mankind , and this is no different. The power they crave comes at a price. The price is complete and utter fealty to the man who would be king. In America.