There was a time when even the highest government
officials lived simpler lives.
President George Washington made do with Tobias Lear, who
not only served as his secretary, but also doubled as a diplomat and even
measured his body for burial. President Thomas Jefferson made do with Meriwether
Lewis as his personal secretary and Lewis also doubled as Jefferson’s explorer
in the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Washington worked on an expense account instead of a
salary. He began his presidency working out of a rented three story house that
was later demolished as a slum clearance project to make way for the Brooklyn
Bridge on a spot only a few minutes away from what is now Ground Zero.
Washington once said that government is “a troublesome
servant and a fearful master.” Government has long ceased being a troublesome
servant and has become our fearful master. Today the servants of the people
have more servants of their own than many kings and queens.
The government shutdown has forced Obama to make do with
only a quarter of his 1,701 person staff. That would leave 436 “vital”
employees. The 90 people who look after his living quarters would be slashed to
15 to “provide minimum maintenance and support”…..To Read More……
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