Visitors to the Lincoln Memorial pause to take a selfie with the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol in the background at sunset in Washington, on Feb. 5, 2022.
J. David Ake, Associated Press
After the Revolutionary War, George Washington had a choice to make: retain his control over the military and reserve for himself and his officers riches and power, or renounce his wealth and authority by becoming a private citizen.
On Dec. 19, 1783, he declared:
Having now finished the work assigned me, I retire from the great theatre of Action; and bidding an affectionate farewell to this August body under whose orders I have so long acted, I here offer my Commission, and take leave of all the employments of public life.
The world marveled at our first president’s courage. Across the Atlantic, King George III reportedly said, “If (Washington) does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.”
American leadership was once a world treasure.
Not so anymore. National public trust in our government is at a near all-time low according to Pew Research, with only 20% of us trusting our elected officials to do what is right most of the time. Internationally, only 17% of developed countries said the U.S. democracy is “a good example for others to follow.”
Elected officials need to restore our confidence in the United States. First, they must prove they can be more loyal to the people than to their parties. Second, they must prioritize sound policy over political power.
Former Sen. John McCain famously said, “What is good for my country is good for my party. Should my party abandon this principle, the American people will abandon us.”
McCain was right. Feeling abandoned by their parties, young Americans are leaving in flocks. 15 years ago, only about one-third of millennials identified as independents. Today, nearly half do, Pew Research finds.
Why do they leave? Because politicians refuse to break party lines. Forbes reports that in the early 1970s, party unity voting was around 60%, but today it is closer to 90% in both the House and Senate. The reason for the unanimity is simple: when politicians buck the party, they get politically punished.
Sen. Mitt Romney prioritized people over party when he twice faced the daunting task of deciding whether to defy his party bosses and vote to convict the former president. Think what you will about the merits of his votes, but nobody can honestly deny the courage of his choice to twice vote to convict a president from his own party. His resolve did not come without personal liability — his approval rating within the Utah GOP plummeted, and Republican delegates booed him at the Utah state convention.
We need more of that kind of leadership.
Note to elected officials: serve the people, not your party.
Our country faces several threats we cannot ignore. I’ll focus on one.
The earliest political address I remember viewing was former President George W. Bush’s speech to Congress in February 2001. He said, “Many of you have talked about the need to pay down our national debt. I listened, and I agree. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to act now.”
At that time, the national debt was less than $6 trillion.
We now have almost $30 trillion of debt that few in Washington seem to care about. Both Republicans and Democrats have promised to deliver on this issue, but neither have delivered. The Congressional Budget Office predicts our debt will accelerate its upward climb, reaching 110% of GDP in 2032 — higher than it has ever been. Our massive interest obligations will eat up more of our revenue, requiring even larger deficits to cover necessities, like health care, welfare and defense. The destructive cycle cannot continue much longer.
Here’s my point. Today’s politicians seem more interested in retaining the power associated with their office than endorsing prudent policies. Our political leaders spend with reckless abandon, hoping their budget bribery will win them more seats in the next election. Unless they decide to stop signing checks, they will leave my generation a bill impossible to pay off, and inflation will continue to run rampant.
The national debt is one of many issues that will require political sacrifice to solve. I ask our politicians to be courageous enough to lay their own political futures on the line for the country’s benefit.
And may we have the courage to elect real American heroes — the kind who place the country’s interests over personal ambitions.
George Washington showed true American leadership — shunning power and riches for the public’s welfare. Hanging in the main rotunda of the U.S. Capitol building today is John Trumbull’s painting, Washington Resigning his Military Commission. May it serve as a constant reminder to our leaders to put country over party, people over power.
Brad Barber is a recent graduate of Brigham Young University and Harvard Law School. He is an attorney practicing in Salt Lake City.
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