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I’ve been a fan of only a handful of politicians. I was a fan of former Senator William Proxmire, who died today.
Proxmire entered the Senate in 1957, replacing Senator Joseph R. McCarthy after McCarthy’s death. That must number among the finest upgrades in American electoral history.
Proxmire was a Democrat with an independent mind and a strong sense of ethics, which got him a reputation as a political maverick.
He fought for the little guy, and for transparency in government. He was famous for his “Golden Fleece Award,” which called attention to government programs that he considered wasteful of taxpayer money.
One Golden Fleece Award from the 1970s stands out in my memory. It named a research program that was studying how insects walk. The research was being done at the Ohio State University, where I worked at the time. I had read about the project before Proxmire’s award called national attention to it. The researchers believed their work might help in developing robotic vehicles with military uses, for space exploration, and for maneuvering in particularly rugged territory here on earth. It was the first time I’d had a different perspective on one of the Golden Fleece Awards, and I thought the research was probably money well-spent. It was an educational experience for me. Ever since, I’ve been slow to judge when someone with an axe to grind points out some apparently self-evident foolishness. There is always more to the story, and we would be a lot better off if more people understood that.
Even when I disagreed with Senator Proxmire, I knew his vote and his voice were honest. Unlike so many other politicians, William Proxmire was not for sale.
I wish there were more like him.
11:49:38 PM #
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