Over the winter break, I finally got around to binge-watching Parks and Recreation. In case you missed the show's seven-year run, it's about a fascistic small-town councilwoman who believes it's a politician's job to impose her notions of morality, safety and decency on everyone, no matter what voters want or what the system dictates. She is justifiably recalled by the people of her town after attempting to regulate portion sizes at fast-food restaurants but ends up running a federal office where she can do big things without the consent of the people.
Now, I realize that most of the show's fans see the narrative in a vastly different light and the protagonist, Leslie Knope, as the sort of idealistic, compassionate and principled politician Americans should love. Parks and Rec can be fantastically funny (and it has a big heart), but as I watched, I was often reminded that many people glorify the idea of "public service"—a preposterous term that treats politics as if it were a sacrifice without pay, power or prestige—and "doing something" as a moral imperative, no matter how politicians get it done.
When I got back from my winter vacation, America was still being run by a two-term president who believes it's his job to impose his notions of morality, safety and decency on everyone, often trying to work around the limits the system places on him. This week, Barack Obama is going to institute new restrictions on Americans unilaterally—expanding background checks, closing supposed "loopholes" and tightening the process for law-abiding gun owners—because Congress "won't act" and also because he believes it's the right thing to do. Neither of those is a compelling reason to legislate from the White House.
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