Thank you [I think[ Praxidice, Hasbeen and individual... I am enlightened and depressed at a stroke.
Last question, Why do only self-serving, stupid people become politicians? Why don't sensible people like us do it?

ybgirp - Why do only self-serving, stupid people become politicians?

David Brin said it all 'It's said that "power corrupts," but actually it's more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power. When they do act, they think of it as service, which has limits. The tyrant, though, seeks mastery, for which he is insatiable, implacable.'

Why do only self-serving, stupid people become politicians? Why don't sensible people like us do it?
ybgirp,
Because just like most sensible things we too are outnumbered by the not so. What Qld in particular needs now is a time machine that takes the new Premier back to the day of the election when his eyes were still open & the top bureaucrats were shaking at the thought of integrity infiltrating their ranks.

individual - time machine that takes the new Premier back to the day of the election

Why do you think that would help pray tell ?? Remember his spell as mayor when he did his level best to send Brisbane down the gurgler ??
I has the misfortune to meet the little worm before he became mayor when he and his 'interesting' mate Caltabiano were running around like dogs on heat trying to mount a couple of 'developers' (AKA atillas) hoping to bulldoze the prime farmland at Rochedale & cover it with little concrete blocks housing a zillion sheeple. He is, and always has been an arrogant grub, the only reason he's stuffing around in politics is to impress the in-laws (wife comes from obscenely rich family)

Great posts, Praxidice, also from RawMustard on your other thread. If we could only pick the politicians by lot rather than by elections...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sortition

People would still be corrupted, but at least politics wouldn't attracted people who were corrupted to begin with.

Citizen initiated referenda (CIF), with voter recall and voter veto, would also help if the elected politicians got too egregious. Perhaps if we kept putting incumbents last at every election and any candidates who offered CIF first, we might eventually get it.

Divergence - Citizen initiated referenda (CIF), with voter recall and voter veto, would also help if the elected politicians got too egregious. Perhaps if we kept putting incumbents last at every election and any candidates who offered CIF first, we might eventually get it.

The only politician I'm aware of who has proposed CIR is DLP Senator Madigan who has a bill on the table. Interestingly enough, the sheeple appear more inclined to throw rocks at him than to commend him.

Big Clive has proposed abolition of the 'professional politician' & again, the sheeple prefer to throw rocks than to support the proposal.

Disappointing in both cases, but then its been said that we get the politicians we deserve.