“Reform politicians not only tend to be dishonest but stupidly dishonest—whereas the business politician is honest.

“I don’t see that Lazarus. History seems to show—”.

“Use your head, Ira. I don’t mean that a business politician won’t steal; stealing is his business. But all politicians are nonproductive. The only commodity any politician has to offer is jawbone. His personal integrity—meaning, if he gives his word, can you rely on it? A successful business politician knows this and guards his reputation for sticking by his commitments—because he wants to stay in business—go on stealing, that is—not only this week but next year and years after that. So if he’s smart enough to be successful at this very exacting trade, he can have the morals of a snapping turtle, but he performs in such a way as not to jeopardize the only thing he has to sell, his reputation for keeping promises.

“But a reform politician has no such lodestone. His devotion is to the welfare of all the people—an abstraction of very high order and therefore capable of endless definitions. If indeed it can be defined in meaningful terms. In consequence your utterly sincere and incorruptible reform politician is capable of breaking his word three times before breakfast— not from personal dishonesty, as he sincerely regrets the necessity and will tell you so—but from unswerving devotion to his ideal.

“All it takes to get him to break his word is for someone to get his ear and convince him that it is necessary for the greater good of all the peepul. He’ll geek.

“After he gets hardened to this, he’s capable of cheating at solitaire. Fortunately he rarely stays in office long—except during the decay and fall of a culture.”

-- Lazarus Long, Time Enough For Love, by Robert A. Heinlein

Businesses Politician: Stealing is her businesses
Reform Politician: Greatest good for all the people[1]

Heinlein wrote this near forty years ago, using colloquialisms of speech from fifty years prior. And amazingly it's still fully true today. In general we get Businesses Politicians = Republicans and Reform Politicians = Democrats.

Bush Jr. and Sr. are good Businesses Politicians. They steal and make no bones about it. Obama is a great Reform Politician; he riled the masses with promises of “change” and then broke his word. It'd be interesting to know if it was three times before his first breakfast? But I'm sure those records are sealed (much like Bush Sr.'s still are?). Do we really wonder why the Democrats are ineffective in office? Not that I want the Republicans in office either!

It seems sadly ironic that neither “crime” of breaking your word or stealing aren't both reviled. If they were, we could hope the majority would get fed up with each, and vote for any one else...

As there really isn't much choice, do vote for the least evil. So, if there is any candidate beyond a Democrat or Republican, vote for them...

Pessimistically yours,

M.J.

Footnote:
[1] Spock was a liberal! Star Trek was subversive indoctrination! Oh, my!
[2] “except during the decay and fall of a culture.” Hello USA, and explains why Obama won the re-election.