Thought for The Week

Peggy Noonan, writing in Opinion Journal:

People who charge into burning towers are heroic; nuns who work with the
poorest of the poor are self-denying; people who volunteer their time to help
our world and receive nothing in return but the knowledge they are doing good
are in public service. Politicians are in politics. They are less self-denying
than self-aggrandizing. They are given fame, respect, the best health care in
the world; they pass laws governing your life and receive a million perks
including a good salary, and someone else--faceless taxpayers, "the folks back
home"--gets to pay for the whole thing. This isn't public service, it's more
like public command. It's not terrible--democracies need people who commit
politics; they have a place and a role to play--but it's not saintly, either.