The latest backlash against overprivileged public officials is taking the form of a bill known as the 'If our military has to fly coach then so should Congress' Act. While these are noble and understandable sentiments, IMHO they miss a larger and more important point. Congressmen at least have the one redeeming quality that they are the directly chosen representatives of the people, nominally accountable through the election process. We may argue about how to make that accountability felt more acutely in light of the high recidivism, um, re-election rate for incumbents. But that is the basic definition. A much more serious problem with our government is the directorate class of our administrative agencies, ostensibly under the supervision of the Executive branch but in practice acting as an unaccountable and extra-constitutional branch of the federal government. No voter has the opportunity to recall a Secretary of Energy, Health and Human Services, the Interior, or...(Read Full Post)