"Mark Jerde" wrote in message
...
Ed Huntress wrote:

Indeed it does, Mark. And it's the "developing relationships" part
that's the most corrupting influence on our government. The "learning
how to get things done" part depends on how many corrupting
relationships are controlling the process.

I don't think everyone who gets into government service automatically gets
corrupted. Hopefully the ones that don't outnumber the ones who do. IIRC
there were a lot of people who weren't stung by Abscam. (Including
Daschle,
IIRC.)

For perspective's sake, and for the record, I agree completely. I've known a
few Congressmen and there is no evidence that they were corrupt in any
conventional way. There are some who are deeply corrupt, but my bigger
concern is that the system itself becomes corrupt by the machinations of
career politicians. They have their own ways of getting things done, and it
includes lots of minor corruptions, such as heavy-duty logrolling,
porkbarrel outrages, and so on. Petty stuff, but stuff that corrupts the
whole process.

Ed Huntress