The Washington Post reported yesterday that "typical Blue Dogs receive significantly more money–about 25 percent–from the health-care and insurance sectors than other Democrats, putting them closer to Republicans in attracting industry support." Most of us could have drawn that conclusion ourselves.

When I was a college student, this catchy, derisive aphorism was often heard: Those who can do; those who can't teach. Clever claptrap and we all knew it; otherwise we wouldn't have been in college in the first place. Numerous people who have become absurdly rich doing what their professors taught them to do routinely donate huge sums to their alma maters. What better proof could there be?

A variation of this aphorism, however, may be true. Those who know teach, those who can do, and those who neither know nor can become members of Congress.

The American scandal of politicians asking for, receiving, and accepting money from special interests is too well known to be worth much mention. And although politicians routinely deny that those contributions influence their votes, everyone knows that politicians routinely lie. Emerson summed it up nicely: "What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say."

If you've ever wondered why the idle rich (48 percent have net worth's estimated to be at least $1 million), attorneys with unsuccessful private practices (about 30 percent), and former shopkeepers run for seats in the Congress, one possible answer is that their votes are the only things of value that they have to sell.

Are America's failures running the country? Well they certainly haven't enacted much effective legislation in the last half-century. (09/07/31)