Royalty is unAmerican

As the long national mourning period for Ted Kennedy continues, a frequently heard observation is that the Kennedy family is the closest thing to royalty that the United States of America has.

It is a statement made without irony, usually in a fawning manner, and clearly with admiration.

And of course, the speaker usually lacks complete understanding what an indictment that statement is.

The United States of America was born in a complete rejection of the concept of monarchy. In creating a government theoretically divided into three equal bodies of power, the Founders turned away from the concept of a ruler governing by divine right, or placing a family dynasty in charge.

To describe the Kennedy clan in terms of "royalty" is to suggest the Kennedy clan stands for all that the Founders did not intend this country to be — which, given Ted's record over 46 years of consolidating power into the federal government's hands, may actually be an appropriate view.