Same old story: It never fails. The party that is out of power has a short memory

Attention North Carolina Democrats -- well, at least the ones who are whining and complaining that they are being persecuted by the Republicans who have taken over Raleigh.

This story is for you.

Once upon a time there were a whole bunch of princes and a king who had complete control of the castle.

They did what they wanted, taunted their enemies and broke several rules -- really too many to count.

They said they were all about cooperation and unity, but then proceeded to act in the support of their own agendas, without concern for their opponents' desires or opinions.

And they even set the boundaries for their kingdoms, saying they were doing so with fairness in mind, but then turning around and arranging them so they would be beneficial to their own concerns.

And they laughed, dismissing the complaints of the lords and ladies, pointing to the fact that they had earned the mandate from the people and were, therefore, empowered to make the decisions. They stomped, "speeched" and bedeviled those whom they had bested from a moral high horse.

And then a great wind came, and the princes and king found themselves with no more kingdom. They had been swept out of power and their mistakes and excesses were on full display.

No longer could they claim power from on high -- or dismiss criticism. They now had to swallow the decisions of others.

And they were very sad -- and whiny.

After all, they said, it was not right to ignore the contributions of others -- and to arrange boundaries so they benefited your agenda. They cried foul and pouted, seeking out every camera they could find to express their displeasure.

And the new princes smiled and went about their business.

The moral of the story is simple: Politics is politics. And no one party has the market cornered on bad behavior, no matter how much they protest otherwise.

Published in Editorials on February 18, 2012 11:47 PM