I have had some welcomed assistance in the assurance that essays continue even though my personal time is sometimes not as free as before my wife's stroke. (Jean is doing very well, thank you, but the work that needs to be done to keep a house in order has to be first in priority and secondary priorities simply stand in line.) The previous essay by Robert J. Tinsky made a simple plea - BE SURE TO VOTE. Today, I am publishing an essay written by a Mississippi friend, T. J. Ray, who is a retired professor of The University of Mississippi. T. J. Ray is a unique writer with a background of 40 years teaching English grammar and language history. He thus qualifies as a pristine wordwright. Readers will immediately sense T. J.s writings stand alone. Some tongue-in-cheek, irony and humor can be found but there are portions that require serious contemplation and rumination. Hopefully these words, no less than the thoughts, will ultimately find their way to the hearts and minds of those who rule as well as they who follow--and vote. THE WORDWRIGHT

The Presidential Party Protocol

Recently someone wrote about defining the constituents of elected officials. Probably he was regnostic and may have been suffering a case of collywobbles. Even so, his words made sense, even suggesting a long-overdue application of the principle. A fitting rubric for the topic might be the Presidential Party Protocol.
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In accordance with Article II, Section I of the U.S.Constitution, whenever a President is sworn in, these words are uttered: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." Of particular note here is the absence of phrases such as "the interests of the _____ party." And a reading of the Constitution that is to be protected and defended is amazingly void of phrases such as "the Republican Party" and "the Democratic Party."

The logical effect of the oath is that the new Chief Executive swears to support the Constitution as it applies to all citizens, those who may have helped elect him as well as those who fought vainly to keep him out of office. As government is practiced (or malpracticed) in our country, folks who financed the winning campaign usually expect a return on their investment of dollars and time. Therein exists the real possibility that the only people represented by the winners are the ones with the deepest pockets. The likelihood is that donors whose checks ran to thousands or millions of dollars will be paid much more attention than the thousands of pensioners who could only contribute ten dollars.

The Presidential Party Protocol should profoundly alter the political landscape, perhaps profoundly improving the management of the nation. (Coincidentally, there should also be a gubernatorial version of the Protocol.) The most significant requirement is that from the day of inauguration the President is barred from participation in any way in party affairs. This includes endorsing other candidates while he or she is in office. One result is that no government agencies will be used to promote party candidates. Air Force One will fly for the people, not the party. It prohibits the Chief Executive from appointing people to positions because of party affiliation. In other words, the President will select the person who is best qualified to do a job, ignoring any pressure to filter nominees through a party screen. While such a constraint on the President may be difficult to define, it is like other aspects of that position: the moral integrity of the person in office.

If the President is concentrating on doing the job , being free of obligations to a party, time and energy may be dedicated to the business of the nation and the welfare of the people. This is highly preferable to presidents going around campaigning and fund-raising for their parties. Perhaps they would then know, for example, whether weapons of mass destruction actually existed before declaring war and that corporate greed was robbing hardworking Americans of their investments and pensions.

Though not direct aspects of the PPP, three other ideas need to be acted upon. Given the intermittent poor choices of vice president running mates, it is past time for the vice president to be elected just as the president is. And the term of office for both offices should be extended to six years with no option for a second term. It makes no more sense for a senator to serve six years than it would for a president and a vice president to also serve the same term. Finally, the electoral college should be abolished. If the nation is to respond to the actual poll of its citizens, then the results of that poll (the popular vote) should be the deciding factor in elections.

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Now, on with the ruminations. Thanks T. J. Again, BE SURE TO VOTE!

THE WORDWRIGHT