Secret #3: Politicians don’t Really Want to Solve Problems. They are more Concerned with being Popular.
Most politicians sell themselves as people who do the right thing, and who are going to solve the nation’s problems. But if you stop to think about it, it’s pretty obvious that they are not really interested in solving problems. It may not be true for all politicians, but I think it’s true for most.
Is it because they are evil? No, not at all. It’s a simple matter of being part of our political system. Consider an elected official who has great dreams. He (or she) wants to solve the country’s biggest, most challenging problems. Suppose they take massive action, and their policies are very unpopular. Before their changes have time to have a big effect, they will be voted out of office, probably within a year or two. Now, the new person is going to come in and undo some of what the last official did, and blame all the current problems of that other person. Since the previous polician is already unpopular, those critiscims will stick.
So, that means that most politicians will only make moves that will keep them popular. Every elected official is just one election away from being replaced. They want to improve the country, but they are also keenly aware of how transient their influence is.
I don’t know what the solution is. Considering that America is the best country in the world, maybe there is no problem. But it is important to keep in mind that many politicians will put their own popularity before their spirit of service. And it’s important to remember that every appearance and prepared speech is a bid to ensure that they remain in office. Many people follow politicians blindly as though they were Mother Theresa. I urge everyone to think twice about what an elected employee says, and consider the truth of the situation.
This is the third post of a series: Secrets the Government doesn’t want you to Know.
Related posts:
- The Poor, the Middle Class, the Rich. And then there’s the Politicians.
- Can Obama Solve America’s Financial Crisis?
- Problems with Social Security
- Are the Country’s Economic Problems too Big?
- Secret #4: The Government’s most Powerful Tool is Ignorance
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is one of my favorite financial books of all time. It's an allegory about a guy who has a terrible job, and how he overcomes challenges to achieve his dreams.
