Selfless Government

By T. M. Moore at colsoncenter.org

“...you may indeed set a king over you whom the LORD your God will choose…Only he must not acquire many horses for himself…And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.”
Deuteronomy 17:15-17

Governments haven’t changed much throughout the course of human history, at least, in some very fundamental ways, one of which is the tendency of government officials to use their office for personal aggrandizement.

Even as far back as the days of Moses, rulers seem to have understood that public service could be very lucrative work for themselves and their friends. The law of sin is just as active now as it was then, so we shouldn’t be surprised when public officials today use their office for personal benefit….

Can voters do anything to help ensure that those who enter public service understand from the beginning that we expect selflessness in our public officials and will hold them accountable accordingly?

I have to believe we can.

For example, we can insist on regular reviews and reports on the practices of our public officials…

Second, we can refuse to put in office any men or women who have demonstrated that the appeal of public service for them is largely that of self-interest.

Read it all here …