Who would want to be in Congress?

[d-ray657]

Originally Posted by Sandy G

This is part of the problem w/politics, I think...It tends to attract the exact wrong kind of people to it...They are master manipulators, are by & large experts in prevaricationing, & deftly know how to game the system. If ANY of "The people's business" actually gets done, its almost by accident. The Founding Fathers, as usual, had it right-They kinda set things up for "Citizen legislators" to come & do their civic duty for awhile & then go home. I don't think they ever envisioned somebody making a lifelong career of it-and CERTAINLY not to become as fabulously wealthy as many of these jokers are...

That probably describes that vast majority of them, but I agree with some of the posts discussing how corrupting the environment can be. But also think of what kind of mind-set it takes to avoid what has become increasingly nasty commentary about office-holders. It even corrupts their vocabulary. I remember seeing John McCain interviewed about difficulty in attracting the best and the brightest into politics. He talked about the intrusion in to their private lives and the criticism to conclude that young people are "disincentivized" to participate.

Regards,

D-Ray

[doucanoe]

Term limits may solve much of that.

RC

[piece-itpete]

Can you imagine if a Congressman simply spoke the truth as he saw it?

Can you say, the boot?

Pete

[d-ray657]

Hey, but don't forget, a majority of them are lawyers. Um . . er . . but, I mean . . . Oh, never mind.

Regards,

D-Ray

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by piece-itpete

Can you imagine if a Congressman simply spoke the truth as he saw it?

Can you say, the boot?

Pete

I'm not sure who is less prepared for (or receptive of) the truth, his congressional colleagues or the public.

[piece-itpete]

If they can't speak the truth as they see it because the public doesn't like it, then we are indeed on the road to ruin.

Pete

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by piece-itpete

If they can't speak the truth as they see it because the public doesn't like it, then we are indeed on the road to ruin.

Pete

True enough. However, there is frequently a lot of "Sturm und Drang" when a politician who utters a truth about us that we are uncomfortable hearing. A recent example is the furor over Reid's (true) statement about Obama (light complected Negro without a Black accent). Or whenever a true statement about a particular American action abroad being a causative factor in a negative reaction by our adversaries is labelled as "Blame America First."

[Fast_Eddie]

Originally Posted by cabinover

The problem here Eddie is that yes, they already have more money than most folks do and that leads to an indifference to normal everyday working folks as far as I can see.

I agree. And that's the problem really. It really is in many ways a thankless job and if you have the metal to do it you could probably do a good deal better financially in the private sector. So you have to question the motives of anyone who goes into politics. I'm sure there are some who have a genuine desire to make things better. But honestly, with no assurance of longevity, I wouldn't take the job if they offered it to me. I have a family and want to retire someday. The job I have now pays about the same and I have more security. And hard as it is, there's no way it's as hard as churning through that cess pool.

Originally Posted by cabinover

I think we should have term limits in Congress. It's too cushy of a job...scratch that...career for all of them in there.

I wouldn't want to be in Congress but then again the perks are outstanding and unheard of in any field.

I don't know. Term limits sound like a good idea when everyone is frustraited. But really, that makes no one responsible for anything beyond a few years down the road. Many in California say their current financial mess is due in large part to term limits. No one worries what the long term effects will be since they *know* they won't be there to deal with them. They just make as much noise as they can along the way in hopes of securing their next job. The day they start, they know they're going to be fired. So job #1 is finding the next job.

[piece-itpete]

Here in Ohio we have term limits, it drives the politicians into the (waiting and willing) arms of the lobbyists.

But not having them is bad too :yes: as usual screwed either way!

Pete

[Fast_Eddie]

Originally Posted by Sandy G

This is part of the problem w/politics, I think...It tends to attract the exact wrong kind of people to it...They are master manipulators, are by & large experts in prevaricationing, & deftly know how to game the system. If ANY of "The people's business" actually gets done, its almost by accident. The Founding Fathers, as usual, had it right-They kinda set things up for "Citizen legislators" to come & do their civic duty for awhile & then go home. I don't think they ever envisioned somebody making a lifelong career of it-and CERTAINLY not to become as fabulously wealthy as many of these jokers are...

I think you're absolutely right on every point. I would add, though, that the world is a much different place than it was back then. I would think most people who served owned large farms and had a family that could run the farm in their absence. So they could go off for six years and volunteer their time and know they had a livelihood to return to. Not so in these times.

Which gets back to your first point- why are they doing it and what attracts people to this job. Power, prestige, notoriety. These are not the qualities you really want in the job if you think about it. These are people who by definition are putting themselves first when we really need them to put the "greater good" first.