El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos):
Christ Driving the Money Changers from the Temple
(c. 1570–75)

"I suspect his first impeachment indictment will focus on his many violations of the Emoluments Clause."

“What's in it for me?” has never been a question that comes very naturally to me. My birth family raised me under a more self-sacrificial ethic. I always asked what I could do for my country rather than what it might do for me. I do not believe that everybody shares my perspective. Indeed, when I reflect, I don't share it, myself, because I learned through sometimes painful repetition that it's often better if I understand what's in it for me when I engage. Not to get all self-centered about it, but I discovered that I also have valid needs and that it need not be all about me for it to have some allure in it, should I choose to engage. The choice matters. I was raised to default toward self-sacrifice, as if diminishing myself should serve as adequate payment. I'm still apt to default in that direction, and I often require considerable circumspection to catch myself before I martyr myself again.

Some were raised with an opposite ethic, though theirs hardly seems ethical to my reckoning. They wouldn't think of lifting a finger without an explicit agreement concerning the resulting payment, and sometimes even requiring a prepayment or deposit to initiate engagement. Their employers are in their debt. The ego strength supporting this stance astounds and confuses me. What could lead anyone to believe they're worth any outlay before they've delivered anything on their promise? This does not smell like service to me. Nor does it resemble what I consider a free or fair exchange. Render the service, then accept payment. In extreme cases, consider creating a sinking fund to hold the funds until the contracted effort is acknowledged as complete.

Our incumbent observes the latter order. He seems in no way self-sacrificial. Historically, every prior holder of that office has felt that it was an honor enough to simply hold the office. The trust extended by the voters represented a prepayment of whatever salary the execution of the office's duties provided. This individual has been scheming to generate personal revenue from the moment he took office. It has often seemed as though he sought the role solely for the income it would bring to him personally. The actual responsibilities of the office seem secondary to how he conducts business. He comes across as a definite ‘Me First’ character, which is to say, he lacks some essential character traits required of those who hold high public office. The Presidency, especially, was intended to be fulfilled more selflessly than selfishly.

Article I, Section 9, Clause 8 of the U.S. Constitution, commonly referred to as the Emoluments Clause, prohibits federal officeholders from receiving gifts, payments, or other things of value from foreign governments without the consent of Congress. Along with preventing the federal government from granting titles of nobility, the Founders intended it to safeguard against foreign influence and corruption by ensuring that public officials are not influenced by personal gain from foreign entities. Our incumbent does not seem to subscribe to that element of our Constitution. He has proven to be a pick-and-choose chief executive, selectively ignoring significant aspects of the checks and balances our founders prescribed. Consequently, he adds to the growing Bill of Particulars his adversaries have been accumulating with almost every decision he's been making. Tension builds with each pronouncement.

Few disagree with any fair payment scheme. Many in the public believe their president to be overpaid. They hold the same opinion of their dog catcher, for public service was never supposed to make anybody rich. Accepting a gift of a $400 million obsolete airplane from a jihadi sympathizer wouldn't seem like the shortcut to anybody's heart, but the MAGA crowd lost its pride when it lost its mind. Its heart followed. They don't seem to mind that their titular leader makes billions by corrupting his office: our office of our presidency, not his The plane seems like spare change when compared with his cryptocurrency schemes and stock manipulations. Character cannot be purchased, no matter how many billions are exchanged. Corruption rots more than merely the direct participants. The context itself sours as simple decency decomposes through complacency and greed. Jesus chased the moneychangers out of the temple, the one exchange where he seemed to genuinely lose his cool. Those who believe they can barter decency for their own enrichment render everyone else poorer, however wealthy they might become. I suspect his first impeachment indictment will focus on his many violations of the Emoluments Clause. Good riddance!

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