There are probably some truly noble-minded citizens in this country who have considered or will consider running for elective office on the municipal, state, or federal level with the sole purpose of advancing, nourishing, and sustaining the commonweal. Alas, they are destined for a terribly rude awakening if and when they make such an effort. From the moment they announce their intention to run for office, he or she will immediately be besieged by the special interest groups, the corporate lobbyists, and all those who need to have a politician in their back pocket.
I have often asked others to explain to me how someone can enter office with a modest net worth and emerge years later a millionaire. It can't be because of the salaries we pay them. I doubt it's because the mate or partner is working two extra jobs. And I find it hard to believe that politicians are by nature frugal. We all know what the answer is: they've been bought. Whether the money comes pouring into their coffers through "legitimate" campaign contributions (and hasn't the Supreme Court made that a real goodie bag now) or through bribes, payoffs, or other forms of illegal remuneration.
Cynical I may be, but I can't gainsay the evidence of my own eyes and ears when I learn on a daily basis of the extent to which our elected leaders are the handservants of big business. I know this isn't news. The practice has been going on since the first democratic government was formed a few thousand years ago. But it has risen to levels unimagined even by the likes of Boss Tweed in old New York City or the more recent case of Duke Cunningham. You can count on the fingers of both hands the number of office holders whom we could call nation-centered and care about the welfare of its people. The rest of them are out for themselves. And I include all of them, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and the Tea Party candidates soon to be elected come November.
We can rewrite Lincoln's Gettysburg Address as "(A)nd that government: of the money, by the money, and for the money, shall not perish from this earth".