You think? I would just love to have a pension for life after working six years, health insurance that is the best you can buy, inside info on what stocks to buy plus a salary for doing nothing. You really got to give to them for taking care of themselves!

I'd estimate 99% of politicians at the top end (senators, British Members of Parliament and suchlike) are in it chiefly to either line their own pockets (usually by using their position to further their own business interests rather than through the salary they're paid for being a politician, which compared to the salaries "earned" by CEOs are relatively low) or for other nefarious reasons requiring power. The remainder genuinely want to improve the world for the rest of us.

I think we have left politics, to the politicians for far to long, and we all need to take a more active role in government. Beyond getting out to vote, and actually paying more attention to the daily business of government, as painful as that sounds, we don't have a lot of choice right now, because it is obvious that politicans can not be trusted, and they will put their party before you, me, and the country. Gov't of the people, by the people, for the people is gone, Republicans killed it when they went against the popular vote, and put Trump in the Whitehouse even though almost 3 million more people wanted Clinton. Donald Trump is not the person that a majority of Americans voted for President, and yet there his sorry ass sits in the whitehouse. Fixing that fuck-up needs to be job one.

It's worse than that.

“No one has the guts to just let them wither and die.” — John Johnston, former Indiana GOP State Rep candidate, said during a social media discussion on poverty

"Tyler Cowen, the man who succeeded [James McGill] Buchanan and now directs the cause’s base camp at George Mason, the Mercatus Center, has explained that with the “rewriting of the social contract” under way, people will be “expected to fend for themselves much more than they do now.” While some will flourish, he says, “others will fall by the wayside.” And because “worthy individuals” will manage to climb their way out of poverty, “that will make it easier to ignore those who are left behind.” Cowen foresees that “we will cut Medicaid for the poor.” Also, “the fiscal shortfall will come out of real wages as various cost burdens are shifted to workers” from employers and a government that does less."
--Nancy MacLean, "Democracy in Chains, The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan For America

“If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever." -- George Orwell, "1984"

I feel like the system we have does its best to weed out any politician who would dare to change itl

Many politicians are definitely in it for the cash and power only. It's not difficult to see if you really take a good look.

The term politician seems to describe blatant self interest. Here they make the worst possible decisions that somehow benefit only the mega rich. And surprise surprise, when they leave politics, those same mega rich people seem to have a high paid position, title, perks, but no real work waiting for them.

there all professional liars. you can tell when they're lying because they're awake.

I live in Illinois

Since i was about 11...i am going to be 70 in July.

Always been that way and will never change,never trust the government

A politicians salary is just the base income, the real money is in the commissions to be earned through pandering to the people who can afford to pay. There are some good people in politics at the municipal level but beyond that things get very murky indeed.

Yes.

I'm 99% convinced that none of our politicians give a damn about the people they supposedly represent. Their primary concern is getting votes, and they will tell all sorts of lies to get them.

Well, as a municipal politician myself, I get two thirds of the poverty rate for a single guy as my stipend and I can't think of a whole lot of perks, really.