SECOND TAKE
NEWS & OBSERVER: Slow rot of US public service
Denigration that has been continuing for decades has intensified sharply under Donald Trump
23 November 2020 - 11:57
John F Kennedy’s greatest accomplishment as US president wasn’t what he did. It was what he inspired others to do. His call to “ask what you can do for your country” drew generations of Americans to public service.
That inspiration faded under Ronald Reagan’s assertion that government is a problem, not a solution, and the mockery of public servants implicit in his line: “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”..
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