I am at a loss for who said it but I remember someone once said. "There are only five jobs in the world Healers (Doctors, EMT, and the like), Builders, Educators, Farmers, and Protectors (Cops, judges, and military). All the rest is bullshit for money.
Politics soundly falls into the bullshit for money category. While I could not find any data about the amount wealth that a congress person had before they where elected into office and what they have after they leave office. Even term to term wealth changes could not be found. Likely a good thesis could be done on such a topic.
But there is information out there on how Congress gets richer as average American loses. Nothing all that shocking there in fact it think people would naturally expect such a thing. As the old saying goes with power comes wealth. Also, the simple truth is that just to run for any political office calls for good amount of money or the backing of those that do.
The simple fact is that those with money always lead. Poor people do not rule. Look at South Africa post-apartheid. Once they African National Congress got into power the leadership quickly became very wealthy. What is shocking is that despite a far amount of research into the topic I could not ever find one time in which person who was poor left power
peaceful
and was still poor. Even Cincinnatus the icon civic virtue and restraint was a rich man before we was in power and stood rich afterward. The Dalai Lama while in and out of power was and is no poor holy man.
So the question is why. Why is is this a universal human standard?
I think it is because money and power are drugs. The most addictive drugs known to humanity. Just a simple taste of power and wealth corrupts body and mind more than the most powerful narcotic. It changes the reality of the user with such a force even the strongest moral being is crushed under its weight.
Even if you think that a person can hold their grown against the taint of wealth and power. Those around such a person will fall into its pits. Causes such a person to fall down to their level if only for a moment. Think about it you have lots of money and you a mayor of a small town. Your sister uses your name to get a loan for a house that she ends up being unable to pay for and calls on you to save her from foreclosure. Perhaps not dramatic but think that person has the power over another person in such a way that it is hard to those without to understand. For someone to so easily change another's fate is not something to be taken lightly.
Think about it the first time you can just buy a nice car with the same ease of mind as someone buying a pack of gum. Or how you would feel with someone coming to you knowing that you unquestionable power over them. You can change their life or damn them. How can a being walk away from that unchanged.
Even if the person uses their wealth and power for good. Their reality is not one of the rest of the world that is simple trying to get by. Their is no just get by with wealth and power. With such things comes options that the rest of us simply do not have. How can a person not change under such a reality?
Whats the answer. It is not an easy one but it needs to be said. Those with power and wealth need to be watched and legal power holding them in check. They are addicts and need to be seen as such. We need to hold them to a higher standard. Power watch dogs need to be in place to guard against human nature. Those with power cannot hide behind such power their actives need to be public and known to all. Who they see what is said has to be recorded and make public knowledge no secrets no hiding. For these people hold power over us all we need to know what they are doing in our name.
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