It's the small things that count. The small things done on a consistent basis.
And so it is in the relationship between those that hold office and the public it is in service to.
Due to repeated requests of deference in their presence and the proliferation of images of judges, senators, police officers, etc. being addressed as "your honor", "sir" and other such nonsense, we've been led to believe that we should be thankful for whatever beneficence is bestowed on us from those in officialdom.
I do not believe that I should be forced to call anyone by any honorific as I respect no man above myself and I would never expect anyone to refer to me in such a manner.
I cannot be forced to respect someone, they have to demonstrate by who they are as a person that they deserve my respect. If they act in a manner contrary to what I consider acceptable behavior, I feel that it is my place to discourage such acts from proliferating by signalling my disapproval through withholding both acknowledgement and any titles of respect.
As a public official, it should be understood that such positions are not given as a tribute to the office holder, but rather as a placing of trust in that person as a volunteer to serve the interests of those that put them in the positions they hold, that the honor of serving is and should be reward enough, and that they should at all times recognize their duty is to help keep the existing government as a benefit to the people of the society of which it represents.
