“An honest man in politics shines more than he would elsewhere.”

— Mark Twain

“A Tramp Abroad, 1880”

By Gary Poole

Special to the Salisbury Post

I sure wish Mark Twain were still alive. It would be interesting to hear what he might have to say about the current economic, political and moral attitude that exists in the world today.

The thing that endeared Mr. Clemens to most folks was his ability to call someone an idiot, yet make them smile and enjoy it. He definitely would have considerable targets today, as we seem to possess an ample supply of the aforementioned idiots. Always calling a spade a spade set his quotes apart from all the common chatter that most writers tend to spew forth with little forethought.

Twain rode herd over presidents, kings, queens, dictators, popes, preachers and the rest, with no regard to their feelings or the possible repercussions associated with his remarks. And they all loved him dearly for it. His honest assessment of the general public provided him with freedom, and a responsibility, that few people have ever enjoyed. His comments carried so much weight that they could even turn an election in a totally different direction should he choose to do so.

Most of his writings, though, inspired people to stop and consider not just what he was saying, but all the underlying repercussions as well. Whether it was a novel like “Tom Sawyer” or a simple quote, the one thing you could always depend on was his ability to make you consider all implications involved in a situation. With a few choice words, placed in exactly the right places, he inspired a world of thought. That in itself is an incredible gift.

It’s also why I wish he were here today to inspire us to slow down a little, before we make too many hasty decisions. It’s hard to find that quiet place these days and consider the facts. You can’t concentrate on anything for five minutes without being interrupted by your cell phone, e-mail, text message, some newsflash or whatever. We’re all audited and regulated and forced to do business in unnatural ways created by lawyers and politicians who mostly don’t have a realistic grasp on the way the world really works. Their success depends on making things as complicated as possible to justify and sustain their existence.

Their perspective and distorted views are based solely on what they have experienced in life, which usually is limited to 4-6 years of partying in college and whatever areas they have chosen to burden down with their ambitions. Then halfway through a normal career they get themselves elected or appointed and serve 6 or 8 years and retire with lifetime benefits. To hear them tell it, though, “it’s the poor people who are sucking the system dry.” Yeah, right.

The fact is, anything you take away from someone else, you also take away from yourself. Or as a friend of mine said the other day, “They’ve just never had to run the lemonade stand.”

My guess is Twain would remark that we’ve done this to ourselves, and I for one would be inclined to agree with him. We’ve elected all of these people and allowed them to sit there and make the laws that allow this to happen with no term limits. This has got to stop. We only give a president eight years, so why give Billy Tom Bullshot from Cowtail, Texas, a permanent seat in the Senate once he gets elected? …

In the end, we are where we are at our own doing. The question now is, will it be our undoing, or will we get a grip on reality before it takes us down and begin fixing some of the core problems?

… Putting “the party” before the good of the country sounds a little too “commie” for me. I also think there should always be choices, though, and that now may be the time for a legitimate third voice to emerge to help re-balance the scales. For the sake of liberty, a voice of common sense must once again be heard above al the gibberish that flows from the halls of the chambers. It’s the only thing the American public should truly embrace and accept.

… As for Twain, my guess is today he may sum it up something like this. “For the most sought-after political, legal and financial advice, go straight to hell. Ol’ Beezelbub surely hosts the most qualified staff.”

Gary L. Poole lives in Gold Hill.