Matthew Continetti holds forth at length on this subject in an article featured in the March 2d edition of "The Weekly Standard". He cites Bill Clinton and Paris Hilton as sterling examples, but offers no slack to George Bush, Jack Abramoff, Martha Stewart, Enron executives, CIA Director George Tenet, Gen. George Casey, Donald Rumsfeld - the list is inexhaustible.

Our cultural elites fare no better. Paris Hilton is arguably the poster child for the inequality, promiscuity and moral bankruptcy of much of the "celebrity" contingent. The child abuse scandals of the Catholic bishops and priests, the steroid scandals and infantile behavior of many of our sports icons and the pervasive rot affecting our economic system have heavily contributed to the enormous decline in institutional credibility.

The problem is not inherited from the Bush administration; it is systemic. One needs look no further than current political corruption for verification. The Chairman of the House committee that writes the tax code (Rep. Charles Rangel) is under investigation for cheating on his taxes. A leading House appropriator, Rep. John Murtha, is under investigation for accepting illegal campaign contributions. The chairman of the Senate banking and housing committee (Sen. Chris Dodd) is under fire for a sweet mortgage deal that he received.

Obama cabinet nominee Gov. Bill Richardson withdrew because of an investigation into his handling of the awarding of state contracts and Tom Daschle and at least one other Obama appointee have withdrawn due to tax problems. Timothy Geithner, Obama's new Treasury Secretary, was confirmed despite overwhelming evidence that he cheated on his tax returns (and he now oversees the IRS?).

Political corruption certainly has not disappeared, but has simply changed its partisan affiliation.

Is it any wonder that populism, the sentiment that American elites are not acting responsibly, is on the rise?

Unfortunately, populism, while inculcating a vague suspicion of elites that reinforces notions of equality and majority rule, can also spawn political utopias, contempt, resentment, suspicion, paranoia and, in extremity, the designation of "enemies of the people".

In a recent speech President Obama stated, quoting the disciple Paul, "It is time to put away childish things".

The values associated with adulthood, such as independence, self-sufficiency, modesty, decorum, fidelity and civility should be admired and emulated. It is disappointing that so few of these virtues are recognizable in so many of the people who run our country and/or impact our society.

President Obama has the opportunity - and the duty - to make good on his promises of "hope and change". It is disturbing that he does not seem to understand that by transferring the burden of responsibility from the individual to the government he is not strengthening the pillars of respectability and virtue that support a healthy middle-class existence, but instead is encouraging dependence upon the state and discouraging personal responsibility.

Despotism can take many forms.

Alexis de Tocqueville, in volume Two of "Democracy in America", describes "an immense tutelary power" that willingly works for the citizens, "provides for their security, forsees and secures their needs, facilitates their pleasures, conducts their principal affairs, directs their industry (and) divides their inheritances" all the while providing society "with a network of small, complicated, painstaking, uniform rules".

And what is the result?

"The most original minds and the most vigorous souls cannot clear a way to surpass the crowd; it does not break wills but it softens them, bends them and directs them; it rarely forces one to act, but it constantly opposes itself to one's acting; it does not destroy, it prevents things from being born; it does not tyrannize, it hinders, compromises, enervates, extinguishes, dazes, and finally reduces each nation to being nothing more than an herd of timid and industrious animals of which government is the shepard." --- Alexis de Tocquerville, from "Democracy in America", volume two, part four, Chapter Six

I have borrowed liberally from the thoughts of de Tocquerville and Mr. Continetti. Any associations and conclusions reflect my beliefs as a conservative. The warnings should be self-evident.

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