BRYCE ON POLITICS
– What causes someone to become a member of the walking dead?
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It is not much of a secret that politicians are experiencing low approval ratings. Whether it is at the municipal, county, state or federal level, people generally do not trust politicians. So much so, it makes you wonder why someone would want to become involved in this kind of work.
I feel sorry for people who become politicians. Frankly, I don’t know how they live with themselves. I have known several people who were decent people, spoke their minds, and were standup citizens. Yet, when they become a politician, regardless of the rank, they undergo a metamorphosis and become milk toast people who you can no longer trust. I’ve seen this occur in members of both parties and it is all rather discouraging.
I wonder why this happens. Maybe as part of their indoctrination they are locked in a room where they are made privy to the true secrets of the Kennedy assassination, UFO’s, and Hitler’s true resting place in Argentina. Here they are overwhelmed by truth but warned if they divulge any of it, they will be quietly eliminated.
Suddenly, they seem to lose their passion and conviction on various issues, they become politically correct to the point of being obnoxious, and become too “touchy/feely” (they also smile too much). Instead of acting human, they’ve turned into another species altogether, “politicians.”
Very few seem to possess the resiliency to resist temptation and inevitably turn to “the dark side.” Most people go into politics with the best intentions, but then transform into another being altogether. One cannot help but ask, Why? It is money? Control? Recognition? Protecting their job? What? In this day and age of micromanagement, I tend to believe it is a little of everything. Maybe there is some socio-psychological desire to entertain or sway people. The same desire can be found in salesmen after experiencing a sale; It’s the same “rush” entertainers experience after delivering an excellent performance.
Some cannot resist the temptation to become a career politician, regardless of the level in government. After all, being in politics is better than working for a living. The pay and benefits can be very attractive.
Back during the days of the founding of our country, men would serve one or two terms in Congress, before acquiescing control in favor of returning home and tending to their farms or plantations. In other words, it was someone else’s turn to tend to the business of government. The idea of remaining in government was considered loathsome.
I suspect there is a sleaze factor associated with anyone who spends too much time in government, which is why the country supports the concept of term limits. I think we owe it to politicians who finally step aside, to put them through a detox program, teach them how to communicate with the average person, as well as teaching them morality, and build a whole new personality for them. Maybe they should be placed in a witness protection program or the Betty Ford Clinic until they are ready to mingle with society again.
I believe the reason people no longer trust politicians is because they do not perceive them as human anymore, but as zombies aimlessly walking the corridors of government asking for “Change?…Change?…”
Keep the Faith!
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Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M&JB Investment Company (M&JB) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at [email protected]
For Tim’s columns, see: timbryce.com
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Copyright © 2015 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.
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