A big price to pay.

I've been close to politicians most of my life. Especially local politicians. I wrote about them. And I've always wondered what motivates them. I think, in large part, it's ego. And the power that sometimes goes with elected office. And I even joined them once. Ran for the school board. And got elected. Served 3 years. That was long enough to sour me on politics. Too much game-playing. But still there's something that fascinates me about politics and politicians. And especially why people actually make a career of politics. On the local level, it's not so much a career. It's more a pastime. A hobby. A secondary activity. But the higher one goes up the political ladder, the more it becomes a career. A full-time job. In fact, I suspect that politicians in national office do it at the sacrifice of all other activities in their lives. And maybe we should be honored and grateful that they dedicate their lives to public service. But I'm leery of the career politician. The ones I know have gigantic egos. They love power. And love being a celebrity. Love the adoration. The thrill of it. But seems to me that the ones that win often are manipulators. They know how to play the game. To do double-speak. They are shrewd. The so-called best of 'em have a keen sense of what it takes to get elected. And some of 'em might sell their souls. That's a big price to pay to get ahead. --Jim Broede