3 ms·

We elect people who actually believe in governance instead of people out to make a buck. I know that everyone's going to act in their own interest (that's sort

by munk-a 6y ago

We elect people who actually believe in governance instead of people out to make a buck. I know that everyone's going to act in their own interest (that's sorta how interests are defined) but some people feel a legitimate duty and loyalty to country and welfare above their own personal comfort - these people tend to be torpedoed very early on in US politics because they refuse to cozy up to special interests to play the campaign finance game but they do exist. It's easy to be a thorough cynic in the modern world, but most people aren't out to con everyone else when they get the chance and, if a spotlight is shone on the problem, will respond that actions should be taken to make things more just. Here's an article calling out the stock trading specifically around Covid treatment drugs with some congressmen and politicians calling out the behavior: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/aoc-calls-senate-intel-chair-richard-burr-resign-stock-selloff-n1164401 https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/aoc-calls-senate-i...

Kranar 6y ago
Meh, a lot of the people you're describing are incredibly incompetent and succumb to simplistic ideologies. Over the long run they end up in the same position that everyone we're complaining about ends up in. While not entirely related, I remember a study by the U.S. military during the Vietnam war that said the worst performing soldiers were the ones who were patriotic and served due to a sense of duty. I'm simplifying here but the idea was that those were often the first people to feel a sense of entitlement and feel as if because they had good intentions that they were "owed" something. Belief in governance is cheap and doesn't do much to solve anything. Competency, skills, leadership, those are qualities that result in change... having a good heart and believing in or trying to execute various altruistic ideologies is basically a loser's game.
- danans 6y ago
  > Competency, skills, leadership, those are qualities that result in change... having a good heart and believing in or trying to execute various altruistic ideologies is basically a loser's game. We should expect elected officials to have both. It's not like it's impossible.
- michaelmrose 6y ago
  Can you dig up that study please?
- munk-a 6y ago
  I strongly agree it's a loser's game - given our current political system. People who aren't willing to fight dirty and compromise their morals will fail since that's where the money is - and that's sort of my point. We need to change the system to make it so that these people can fairly compete by pulling money out of the political system and evening the playing field. I'm also not advocating that blindly loyal idiots should be in charge - a good comparison to make is to look at more local governance. On a local level the stakes are much lower so the money being thrown around is far less - this lets people get into politics because they want to make change which is an anomaly at the national level - most of those politicians are there because it's a career and they value preserving that over everything else. Another decent idea in this direction is term limits but I'm a bit concerned that that might deprive us of competency.
- whatshisface 6y ago
  >Competency, skills, leadership, those are qualities that result in change... having a good heart and believing in or trying to execute various altruistic ideologies is basically a loser's game. If you are competent, skilled, and a leader, but are not altruistic, you will end up being a very competent, very skilled leader of a burglary operation. ;)
partiallypro 6y ago
AOC has been silent on Democrats doing similar, which make it seem like she doesn't really care.
- fakedang 6y ago
  AOC was vociferously calling for the shutdown of Parler on Twitter, when the protest was coordinated over Facebook and Twitter too. Imo, she's just a classic Democrat politician with a louder mouth, enough to rival the Republican mouths.
insert_coin 6y ago
We elect people who seek power for the sake of power, and sometimes pretending to care about others help them acquire it, and sometimes when the stars align, having to actually help others helps them keep it. > It's easy to be a thorough cynic in the modern world... Thanks to politicians it's never been easier!

by munk-a 6y ago

Kranar 6y ago

Meh, a lot of the people you're describing are incredibly incompetent and succumb to simplistic ideologies. Over the long run they end up in the same position that everyone we're complaining about ends up in. While not entirely related, I remember a study by the U.S. military during the Vietnam war that said the worst performing soldiers were the ones who were patriotic and served due to a sense of duty. I'm simplifying here but the idea was that those were often the first people to feel a sense of entitlement and feel as if because they had good intentions that they were "owed" something. Belief in governance is cheap and doesn't do much to solve anything. Competency, skills, leadership, those are qualities that result in change... having a good heart and believing in or trying to execute various altruistic ideologies is basically a loser's game.

danans 6y ago
> Competency, skills, leadership, those are qualities that result in change... having a good heart and believing in or trying to execute various altruistic ideologies is basically a loser's game. We should expect elected officials to have both. It's not like it's impossible.
michaelmrose 6y ago
Can you dig up that study please?
munk-a 6y ago
I strongly agree it's a loser's game - given our current political system. People who aren't willing to fight dirty and compromise their morals will fail since that's where the money is - and that's sort of my point. We need to change the system to make it so that these people can fairly compete by pulling money out of the political system and evening the playing field. I'm also not advocating that blindly loyal idiots should be in charge - a good comparison to make is to look at more local governance. On a local level the stakes are much lower so the money being thrown around is far less - this lets people get into politics because they want to make change which is an anomaly at the national level - most of those politicians are there because it's a career and they value preserving that over everything else. Another decent idea in this direction is term limits but I'm a bit concerned that that might deprive us of competency.
whatshisface 6y ago
>Competency, skills, leadership, those are qualities that result in change... having a good heart and believing in or trying to execute various altruistic ideologies is basically a loser's game. If you are competent, skilled, and a leader, but are not altruistic, you will end up being a very competent, very skilled leader of a burglary operation. ;)

partiallypro 6y ago

AOC has been silent on Democrats doing similar, which make it seem like she doesn't really care.

fakedang 6y ago
AOC was vociferously calling for the shutdown of Parler on Twitter, when the protest was coordinated over Facebook and Twitter too. Imo, she's just a classic Democrat politician with a louder mouth, enough to rival the Republican mouths.

insert_coin 6y ago

We elect people who seek power for the sake of power, and sometimes pretending to care about others help them acquire it, and sometimes when the stars align, having to actually help others helps them keep it. > It's easy to be a thorough cynic in the modern world... Thanks to politicians it's never been easier!