Politicians: Rulers or Servants of the People?

[Rambuchan]

Diagree.
IMO they have already reached a level where they don't serve at all but make the people serve them.
The unholy alliance of politics and capitalism - often in a personal union - has taken already a degree not far from absolutism. Voters are exactly able to vote for:
the lesser desaster.
But seriously- is there a party taking care about the people instead of their own interests?
Is their a manager taking care about the workers more than about the shareholders value?
Our political system has a cancer from inside an degenerated into a muddy something which servers everyone but the people in fact. Those who should rule are degredated into consuming voters- whereas the political class is not ashamed about anything increasing their own privilages.
And the mass-media spread around propaganda of neo-lib type- even succsessfully- making the people believe that it must be this way and there are no alternatives than to sacrifice the God of economical growth!

A bunch of sheeps is led around and the most will not even complain if they are properly shaved.
Who is fighting war- for whom and why?
While soldiers are dying who has a bad conciesness, sadness--- while checking his bank account(s)?
While people are starving- who has a bad conciesness, sadness---- while counting the carats of the jewleries?

I know a perfectly fair world is an utopia, but there are limits, aren't they?

Socialsm in the original meaning and not what MacCarthey claimed it to be, neither what Stalin made out of it, would be an appropriate cure.

Best post in the thread IMO.

 

[Drewcifer]

I've thought about this some more. I was thinking more of my dad, who served on our town council. He made decisions that were best for the town, even if they weren't good for our family. He always had lots of respect because of that and consistently got the most votes in town without ever campaigning.

At the national level, I'm sure there are some who still act like this, but not as many. Anytime your leader can draft you and send you to war, you are ruled, even if you agree with it. This was the case in the '60's in the US with Vietnam and throughout its history. While the US doesn't have a draft right now, it could again if it was warrented.

So in a way they are both.

Its like the question, "is running a marathon physical or mental.? The answer is yes.

My grandfather was a mayor and Illinois state senator in the '40s and '50s. According to him public service was a calling and had nothing to do with self interest. His articulation of this ideal is what I base my beliefs on (he once turned in my dad for violating a town ordinance he wrote).

 

[Sickman]

I was thinking more along the lines of Vlad Tepes, but there are a couple of fair names there.

Well, that has lot to do in which part of the political spectrum you are standing,
or shoud I say it depends entirely from which end of the impalement tool you are observating the political situation.

 

[Dann]

You obviously never had a chance to vote for Paul Wellstone.

Fortunately his way of looking at politics runs through all parties in MN and predated him (by almost a century). Washington may be corrupt, but the state government belongs to us.

Well lucky you. Despite the occasional snag, I still feel US and European democracies are generally functional and beneficial for the country. We also have democracy and elections in the Philippines alright, but look at the news now. Or the last two decades for that matter. What has it brought us?