Public Servants vs Career Politicians

How can we ensure that the people we elect to represent us – to serve us – remain true and faithful to the ideals of the government; to the principles of a representative democracy?  In other words, how can we reinforce the concept of service among elected politicians.

In short, never re-elect anyone.

The temptation is significant.  Government becomes its own culture.  Well-financed individuals and businesses seek loopholes, exceptions, lifting of regulations or the creation of restrictions for competitors.  The effort to become re-elected requires funding and the pursuit of funding almost always leads to corruption.

But government isn't really that hard if one sticks to the basic principles.  The complexities and nuances of government only exist when politics and the pursuit of special privileges and advantages enters into government.  When people perceive government as a necessary part of doing everyday business then it means the government has become corrupt.

But isn't government actually necessary to do business?  Actually, no.  If the rules are clear and they apply to everyone, then the only purpose of government is to enforce the existing rules.  When rules are designed equitably and applied equally across the board then it really is not hard, nor time-consuming to manage the government.  A simple, well-written rule does not require an administrator to figure out the nuances.  Simple, well-written rules are easily followed by individual people; and individual people can easily recognize when the rules are not being followed by other people.

And that really is supposed to be how a "Government of the people, by the people and for the people" should operate – without career-oriented specialists.  You don't need a degree in political science to take your turn as a government official.  You just need common sense and the humility to recognize that public service places you below, not above, the people you are serving.

Careerism in politics foments the ideas of exceptionalism and elitism – that government representatives somehow hold a higher place in the hierarchy of human interaction.  We need to exert a much different understanding – that public service is a temporary demotion in one's status; a diversion from one's career path, not an end goal.  We don't need to be rude to our government representatives, but they need to understand that their service is temporary, it is to be given with caution and respect; and it is by no means an opportunity for personal advancement or special privilege.

We don't need a new law or amendment to require term limits.  We only need to spread the shared understanding that to re-elect a person is to inflict harm upon both the re-electee and the people they are elected to serve.  Once the culture of elections and public service shifts then government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth.