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[Phillip Rhodes <mindcrime AT cpphacker.co.uk>]

Diana Duncan wrote:

> Personally, I think that most politicians actually go into public 
> service because they believe in something. 

Change "most" to "some" in that sentence, and I'd agree with it.
OTOH, I think "most" politicians (especially at the higher levels)
are from the rich, powerful, connected families, are used to being
in positions of power, and want that power and the perks that go with it.


> Public service is hard, many 
> times unrewarding work.  

Sure, being a US Senator is hard work, right.  Especially if you're
John Edwards who had such an abysmal attendance record that he was
dubbed "Senator Gone."  And unrewarding?  Puhleaze.. take base
salary, add kickbacks, bribes and miscellaneous "contributions",
sweetheart business deals, and hoardes of members of the opposite
sex wanting to jump in their beds, and I don't see how anybody
could describe a position in Congress as "unrewarding."

Again, I'm referring mainly to the higher levels of government,
but the same principles apply all the way down.


> In many ways, it's worse than being a starving 
> artist or struggling actor...actors only need to be discovered once, 
> politicians need to keep on going out there and working for those 
> votes.  

Right, sure.  That's why it's so easy to defeat incumbents, right?

> Generally, they have to be doing something right for some 
> constituents to get elected.  

Yes, they have to be skillful liars.

> The biggest problem is that so many people 
> don't *use* their vote, so guess what?  they let us committed ideologues 
> decide for them.  

Now that I agree with 100%.


> And most people also don't bother to let their 
> politicians know what they want, so the big money and large 
> organizations hog all the access.  

Have you *tried* get get in touch with your Senator or
Represenative lately?  And I don't mean just leaving a message
with some intern who promptly puts it in file 13 and prints
off a form letter in reply. I mean as in seeking face to face
contact, or speaking on the phone with, somebody like Senator Edwards.

I have, and I can attest that it is essentially impossible.
And this is from Edwards, who has this blurb on his website:
 “I want to be the most accessible senator that North Carolina has ever 
had.”

Yeah, Ok, John, whatever.  I bet if I were president or CEO
of a Fortune 500 corporation I wouldn't have any problem
getting him on the phone.  Big money and large organizations
have an inside edge on access, that joe citizen just can't
match.


> Sure, politicians become corrupt - 
> but any more than the average Joe?  I don't think so.  Power corrupts.  

That doesn't make sense.  First you say that politicians don't become
more corrupt than "the average joe," then you say "Power corrupts."
Well, politicans have power, the average joe does not. Hence, 
politicians are more subject to corruption.  I'm not even sure
what "corruption" would mean in the context of an "average joe"
who isn't serving in some public office.

BTW, the continuation of the phrase "power corrupts" is "and absolute
power corrupts absolutely."  Given that reasoning, it seems logical
to conclude that the larger, more powerful, and more intrusive our
government becomes, the more corrupt it becomes.


> One of the things that scares me so much about Bush is that he 
> seems to believe that he is President because of divine blessing, and 
> that therefore everything he does is right, because of course God 
> couldn't be wrong and he is acting as God's proxy.  Yikes.

Yep. Fire "King George."  But don't hire "King John" to replace him.

> I'm all for 3rd party candidates, as long as they inspire people to 
> vote.  

But not if they ever threaten to actually win?


> But come on...this is a Democratic pep rally.  Do you really need 
> to come and spout your crap?

Absolutely.  I have a 1st Amendment right to free speech, and I intend
to exercise it.  I suspect that a lot of people who will be at this
rally are not so much die-hard Kerry supporters, but people who
simply want to vote *against* King George, and think Kerry is their
only alternative.  We want to let people know that there is another
alternative, who actually represents a change, as opposed to more
of the status quo.


>  I doubt you'll get many listeners...

Doesn't matter.  If we get 1 listener, and he/she takes our
message to heart, and then talks to two or three friends
about the LP, and one or two of those folks talk to
two or three of their friends, etc., etc., etc.

As a 3rd party, we face an uphill battle, no doubt. But
we will take small victories where we can get them,
believing that success begets success.  As Mike Badnarik's
campaign slogan says "Lighting the fires of liberty, one
heart at a time."


TTYL,

Phil
--
Vote Badnarik for President 2004
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