POLITICAL CAREERS OR CAREER POLITICIANS ?

The very existence and functioning of representative democracy, where citizens delegate policy-making to elected representatives, hinges on the presence of politicians.

As German sociologist Max Weber (Essays in Sociology) wrote: "Politics, just as economic pursuits may be a man's (woman's) avocation or his/her vocation. There are two ways of making politics one's vocation: Either one lives 'FOR' politics or one lives 'OFF' politics. He/she who lives 'FOR' politics makes politics his/her life in an internal sense. Either he/she enjoys the naked possession of the power he/she exerts, or his/she nourishes his/her inner balance and self-feeling by the consciousness that his/her life has meaning in the service of a 'cause'. In  this internal sense, every sincere man or woman who lives for a cause also lives off this cause. He/she who strives to make politics a permanent source of income lives 'OFF' poltics as avocation, whereas he/she does not do this lives 'FOR' politics."

There are two main career path that are prevalent among politicians in modern democracies. There are career politicians i.e. politicians who work in the political sector until retirement, and political careers i.e. politicians who leave politics before retirement and work in the private sector. A third possible career path is to start in the private sector and then move into politics. While there are several recent examples of this phenomenon (e.g. Silvio Berlusconi, Mayor Bloomberg of New York),  this is still a relatively rare occurence.

Representative democracy was not meant to be a system for career politicians, but rather citizen politicians who serve their mandate and let others fresh off the street to serve.

Today, we need men and women of strong principles and courage whose interest in being elected to positions of public trust is to serve their country and make sure their generation leaves a better world to the next one.

WE NEED MEN AND WOMEN OF FAITH, INTEGRITY, COMMITMENT, PRACTICALITY AND COMMON SENSE WHO VIEW HIGH POLITICAL OFFICE AS A TERMS OF SERVICE, NOT A LIFETIME VOCATION.

There are  "three pre-eminent qualities" decisive for a politician  "passion, a feeling of responsibility, and a sense of proportion". Politicians  should be paid well, but part of their reward must be the prestige of getting things done and pursuing policies they believe in, or  promoting the interests of an electorate and helping individuals. The job's prestige and the public's respect should ideally be in a politician's remuneration "package".  The better among politicians do have ideals.  They want to do good for the community.