General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhat is the purpose and goal of "politics"?
"Politics" has almost become a dirty word nowadays.
Someone once described its roots as "poli" and "tics"..."Poli" meaning many and "tics" meaning blood-sucking insects.
But at some time in our past, "politics" was not always so lightly appreciated. During Greek and Roman times, a "politician" was a person that was generally held in the highest respect.
Some believed "politicians" had a higher calling. They were men of principle who discussed means to help the greatest masses of people, by means of "government".
"Government" was not always a bad idea. Starvation, crime, and general anarchy were not the best way for our citizens to live. So they formed "governments".
So, what should we expect from this "government"? Yes, we wish to be protected from rampaging hordes? And we wish, at the least, the most basic survival needs be made available to each and every citizen. That seems to me to be the most basic of requirements from government?
And "government" created roads, streets, and lamps, and provided local police for peace in the neighborhoods. And the idea worked quite well.
What is your idea of "politics" and "politicians"?
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leveymg
(36,418 posts)Last edited Wed Jan 28, 2015, 06:59 PM - Edit history (1)
At least the last century of U.S. national politics proves that. Just ask Duke Cunningham . . .
Glassunion
(10,201 posts)That is all...
shraby
(21,946 posts)is humanly possible. Never mind the problems they were sent to solve. Money comes first and foremost. They have gone back to their root words.
I think they should have to limit their contributions to the actual people they represent in their districts and money should not be legally collected from outside their district.
District for a representative, for a senator, his district would be the state and for the president, the whole country.
That would solve a lot of problems about slurping up as many coins as they can from anyplace in the country and help get them to remember who they are representing.
kentuck
(112,491 posts)Especially about having to limit their contributions from their district only. And it should be illegal to collect contributions from outside their districts, I would agree.
HereSince1628
(36,063 posts)In as much as policy is about governance, politics transcends the theoretical veil into the actual control of governance.
Dont call me Shirley
(10,998 posts)that one could not do on their own. The original community.
Over the millennia it has devolved into a "it's all about me so what's in it for me" cadre of immature, shallow, unthoughtful, impatient, vengeful, violent, abusive bullies.
In order to make government (politics/politicians) work for the common good again, we are going to have to figure out a way to unstick those who are stuck in the mire of toddleristic selfishness
A balance between community and individual must be achieved in order to live in a society which functions well for all, including the trees, animals and amoebae.
Wellstone ruled
(34,661 posts)Politicians looking for a District. Knowing full well it will be a easy Seat to win and keep for ever.
daredtowork
(3,732 posts)Local politicians should disseminate info about govt policy and programs and also provide first level assistance for handling problems created by those policies and programs.
Also, since civilivation has superceded the stage when people can just walk over to some piece of free land, build a shelter, and grow their own food and/or hunt and gather, the government has to get involbed withthe distribution of resources to people who are forever suspended inn "nonspace" over property they don't own. These people can only meet their basic needs through jobs, preferably jobs with regular salaries so people can shell out for the many rents and debts involved in holding on to an ecological niche for themselves in this environment. The job of the politician becomes to shape policy to maximize these ecological niches. If policy does not result in jobs, then it must result in other means of obtaining resources so people can hold their niche open.
It's popular for Teahadists to say maintenance of these ecological niches is simply not the job of government. They wish to withhold resources and hide in their bunkers with shotguns as the ecological niche of everyone who lost their job or became disabled or experienced discrimination of some sort totally collapsed from lack of access to food, housing, and other basic resources. A NASA report has predicted the total collapse of civilization as soon as 15 years - I think the low estimate is predicated on the Koch brothers buying LOCAL governments so the politicians stop bothering with the problems of their constituents. That will hasten the collapse of the niches.
That's my theory of politics.