So Delta did this:
Even as a candidate, it was clear to me that, unfortunately, self-interest was a big driver of policy. Basically, the things that impact members of congress directly also impact their view of policy/laws regarding those things.
Example: In the late 1980s/early 90s, intrastate airfare in California became very expensive. It cost significantly more for members of the CA state legislature to fly to Sacramento. The result? A raft of bills threatening airlines unless they lowered fares (including the idea of a state-run airline). While not much materialized, direct impact on legislators’ lives had direct impact on their view of proposed legislation.
Members of congress get special access to healthcare through the Office of the Attending Physician, they get a defined-benefit pension after serving for only 5 years (defined -benefit pensions, once the standard, are becoming exceedingly rare in the private sector), and generous employer match for healthcare costs and retirement. they also get little perks like the one Delta is currently discontinuing (we will see if its temporary or permanent).
While the original concept of a “citizens legislature” envisioned by the founders might be a bit archaic, the idea that elected officials have to live like the people they were elected to serve is certainly not. Putting electeds on a pedestal leads to them believing they belong there and they are irreplaceable.
Campaign Story:
When I first decided to run for congress, I was lucky to find an experienced political person to be my campaign manager. One of the first lessons she taught me was “If people think you are important or will have power, they will treat you differently. Be very, very careful to recognize that and don’t let it change you.”
I saw that in action during a summertime ritual - the small-town parade. It was a funny incident after a parade in a university town in my state where my campaign manager’s admonition and observation was confirmed and made me wonder.
Summertime means parade season in my state for aspiring politicians. We were in the university town for a Jubilee Days parade. We parked at the university Student Union parking lot. The parade route moved west down the main drag towards downtown. We had a pick-up truck provided by a local volunteer with bales of hay to stand/sit on in the bed of the truck, and, of course, tons of candy to throw to the kids in the crowd lining the roadway. Everything went as planned on a beautiful summer day. However, traffic getting back to the parking area was a mess, so I jumped out of the truck after the parade ended and started walking back to where I had parked. I was joined by a young volunteer on my campaign. As we ambled contentedly, talking about anything other than the campaign for just a few minutes, the lane next to us – heading towards downtown - was empty, but the lane heading back to the parking area was bumper-to-bumper, barely moving. In fact, even at our leisurely pace, we were walking faster than those vehicles were moving. Looking ahead, I saw that part of the problem was a STOP sign up the road which slowed everything down.
The campaign volunteer and I strolled lazily back to the car, enjoying the abundant intermountain west summer sunshine and, incredibly, the lack of wind. Suddenly, I heard someone calling my name. Looking across the street, the driver of a pickup truck stuck in the massive traffic jam leaned out his driver side window. I didn’t know him, but he certainly knew who I was.
“Hey, Joe. How are you doing?”
“Just great thanks, and you?”
“Well, I’m not making much progress here.” He pointed to the empty eastbound lane and then gestured forward towards the stop sign, about ten cars in front of him. “Do you think I can zip into the other lane up to the stop sign?”
I turned to look at the young volunteer walking beside me and asked him, under my breath, “Why would he be asking me that? I’m not a traffic cop.” The volunteer just looked at me and shrugged his shoulders.
I turned back to the driver, a hint of mischief in my voice. “Sure. Why not. Go for it.”
With that, he pulled into the wrong lane and high-tailed it down to the stop sign, making a left before anyone else even knew what happened.
I smiled at my walking companion, and we both looked at each other like “What the hell was that?” Then we cracked up. But all of a sudden it hit me. That driver asked me because he thought I had the power. If he got caught, he’d just tell them that Joe WYpoxic told him it was okay to drive in the wrong lane. I hadn’t even been elected, and he viewed me differently. Wow!
Why should this deference and my campaign manager's warning – “They’ll treat you differently.” be a concern?
Well, let’s start with the fact that all politicians have ego. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. By “ego”, I mean that one has to believe they can make a difference and have something to offer in order to run for office in the first place. The problem is when that ego crosses the line; when elected officials start thinking that they are more important than our political system, that the whole place would fall apart without them. It’s a fine line, and all too often the deference shown by others to a Congressperson or Senator contributes to that line being crossed. We’ve all seen the results, and it’s not pretty.
So – respect? Yeah. Deference and putting elected on a pedestal? No way. After all, they actually work for us, you and me, the public. We pay their salaries and elect them to represent us. Does that make them indispensable or better? Not the way I see it.
More of what Delta did, please.
