They Have As Much Power As We Give 'Em

As a citizen of Illinois, though not for that long, I am continually surprised by the ongoing issues with our Governor. Today, he was impeached by the State House, and claimed it was for political vendetta.

Really Blagojevich? I hope you don't honestly think that.

The old saying goes that "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely". Whether or not Illinois takes this opportunity to reexamine the structure of its government is unknown (and unlikely), but any time the governor's name goes on highway construction signs, I would say that's feeding one person's ego a bit too much!

Jesus didn't have as much problem with power in and of itself; he was concerned with the way people used their power. The reason why it's hard for a rich person to get to heaven (in Jesus' story) is not because of the money, but because of the attachment to the money and the degree to which people allow themselves to be controlled by the quest for more money.

It seems to me that we as a society can help detach people from the power we give them by reminding them from time to time that they were not hired (i.e. elected) for their ego or their good looks. They are there to do a job, and to do it for all the people - not just themselves and their personal friends.