Reason #2: Career Politicians Dialing for Dollars

Over the years, I’ve gotten to know my local congressional representative here in Silicon Valley, Mike Honda. Mike’s a really nice guy, but I’ve never met a politician who isn’t a nice guy. That’s one of the main ways we’ve gotten into this mess. On the whole, Congress’s approval rating is in the single digits. Yet when you ask people if they like their congressman or congresswoman, they say yes because they’re charming, charismatic characters. But that’s exactly the problem. We keep electing likable boobs and expecting them to magically transform into capable leaders once they get to Washington. Congress is chocked full of old boobs now, so it’s no surprise they don’t get anything done. When you have a gathering of old boobs who’ve been around too long, you get sour milk.

Mike Honda is your typical congressperson. He’s a charming fellow, to be sure, but the only reason he bothers to talk to me is because I have a fat wallet. A few years ago, he even invited me over to his home so he could shake me down for a few dollars. His place was being remodeled at the time. As soon as I got in the door, I saw that the design for the work was an absolute disaster. (I’ve spent my entire adult life developing real estate. I know a shoddy layout when I see one.) Mike immediately went into his fundraising pitch, but I interrupted him and started pointing out the problems with the construction he was doing. As I talked, Mike looked around and I swear, it was like he’d never even seen his own house before.

Finally, I asked him if he had been in touch with his architect.

Mike looked utterly lost as he murmured, “I guess I’d better call him.”

After our conversation about his remodel, I tried to discuss the trouble our country is in - the soaring national debt, Social Security’s impending bankruptcy, and our disastrous foreign policy. Mike’s shoulders sagged as I spoke. His eyes glazed over. He was doing his best to seem interested in what I had to say, but it was all an act. I knew he was just humoring me, hoping I would eventually write him a check. Finally, I got so disgusted I walked out of there without giving him a dime.

Our country is in a similar shambles as Mike Honda’s home. It’s not that we don’t have the money or the smarts in this country to make things better. We do. But our politicians aren’t up to the task. On the contrary, their short term thinking is the reason we’re in such a sorry state to begin with. Members of congress like Mike are supposed to be our architects, designing our way forward as a nation. But instead of drawing up blueprints for our long term health as a country, they spend their time hitting corporations and rich guys up for cash so they can win their next election. If I didn’t have a big bank account, he wouldn’t give me the time of day.

Unbelievably, two weeks after I stormed out of his house, Mike called me up for cash again. “I’m dialing for dollars,” he said, completely oblivious to how poorly our last meeting had gone. Can we ever expect a money grubber like that to solve the huge and complex crises we face as a nation? Of course not. Yet we send people like him to Washington again and again.

Mike’s been in public service for more than 38 years. Some might call that long tenure, “experience.” Others might just say it’s one year of experience repeated 38 times. The proof is in the pudding, as they say, and in Mike’s decades in elected office, just about every problem we have has gotten worse, not better. That’s not a good track record. And yet, Mike gets reelected time and time again - not because he’s a capable leader but because the rules are rigged in his favor and he knows how to play the political game.

NEXT: Reason #3: Lifetime Leeches