This is an angry vent, so if you don't like to read them, skip it.

Last night in Theory we discussed elitism.  Basically the two schools of thought on public service.  One school is only "intelligent" people should be permitted to run for public office, the second believes any American has the right.

The Professor is a nice guy which makes this whole situation worse imo.

Here is a re-play.

We have class in a "seminar" format, meaning we sit in a circle.  Out of 11 people in the group, only about 4 of us actually interact with the Professor, though occasionally he drags the less inclined into discussion.

Back to topic.  Eilitism.

Prof:  "Some people believe only the most intelligent should run government, people like Obama.  Others believe any American, regardless of intellect or experience has the right to govern.  As we saw in the last election with Sarah Palin.  She was one heartbeat away (he made a pushing motion with his finger) from the nukes.  You know that's what it's all about.  How smart does someone have to be to push that button?"

Me:  "Wait a second.  I get so tired of hearing this.  First, you are comparing Palin to Obama.  She wasn't running for president."

Prof:  "She was one heart beat away from it."

Me:  "So?  She wasn't running for President.  And I am sick of hearing people say how stupid she is.  She governs a state two and half times bigger than Texas.  She deals with disasters every year that most governors never experience, and when they do, FEMA is required.  There are ice storms every winter, hundreds of thousands of acres of fires almost every summer, earthquakes which destroy roads and infrastructure, massive flooding in the spring, the list goes on and on.  Like her or hate her, you can't be a total idiot and deal with that type thing well enough the federal government is rarely invoked.  I lived there.  The people don't take special precautions against most of those things.  They endure them."

Prof:  "Okaaaay."

Me:  "Obama's so smart he couldn't be pulled away from the party while 40 plus Americans died in an ice storm a week ago."  (I shit you not, almost everyone in the class (but the firefighter) had NO IDEA about the ice storm and that people were still without power in Ky.)

Prof:  "I wasn't trying to offend anyone."

Me:  "Well I am sick of the double standard."

Prof:  "There is no double standard.  Obama showed his mastery of policy very well.  He was informed on policy, articulated it."

Me:  "So, Palin doesn't read the NY Times which makes her uninformed on government policy?  Why didn't Katie Couric ask Biden what paper he reads?  Oh because it's a double standard.  No one really cares.  I also lived in Delaware..."

Prof:  "hahaha, my, you've lived everywhere."

Me:  Shrugged.  "22 years of military life.  You get around.  You get perspective."

We moved on to other topics.  Of course the people sitting next to me wanted to move, afraid to catch the ignorance.  A few were embarrassed for me (which I secretly loved).

I thought about the best things to say AFTER.  Like, how is voting "present" being informed on public policy?  Do they have any idea how Alaska plays in "The First Strike" scenario of a nuclear conflict?  And that the freaking Governor has to be on top of that at all times?  And while she was making actual decisions for and against things like national security and disaster prep., Obama voted 'present.'

It's really not about Palin to me.  Palin, Biden, they each have strengths and weaknesses.  Big whoop. 

It's about people who label themselves "open minded" so long as the rest of the world see things their way.   The hypocrisy at University level is astounding.

Those who voted for Obama = educated, real people.  Anyone else, uh, not so much.  Public Administration is about serving ALL Americans, not just the ones who agree politically.  And the study of current events at this level seems to only go as far as stroking Obama and/or Obama-bots.

For example, remember Joe the Plumber?  How his personal information came to light?  Well, guess who violated the Privacy Act (the friggin LAW and Professional CODE of Ethics) and released that info to the press?  PUBLIC ADMINSTRATION OBAMA-bots.  Not just one errant lady, oh no, it went straight and knowingly to the top of the department.  And you know what they got for breaking the law, for violating their oaths?

A piece of paper.

They kept their jobs and received no more than a reprimand.

Wouldn't their lack of ethics make great fodder as a current event in Ethics for Public Administrators at the University level?  Especially since it happened in OUR STATE?  In OUR FIELD?

Not. A. Peep.

Not a single reference.

That is just so wrong, so IGNORANT. 

This field, in THEORY, is hand crafted for my skill set, personality type, personal ethics.  But it is so corrupted by political bias it no longer resembles a public service mentality, more of a party service mentality.

I'm starting to wonder about the effectiveness of my role in it.