There are numerous reasons why.
One is that the very people we elect to office at the multiple levels are becoming far removed from the people that they are supposed to serve.
There are two cases here of the political class suckage that is, at a level, just draining the ability of the average American voter to even care what happens in their cities, counties, states and the federal government.
Case number one is this special kind of stupid in the person of New York state assemblyman William Boyland, Jr.
Mr. Boyland was convicted last week of openly soliciting bribes for political favors. There were 21 counts and he was found guilty on all of them. Why he is so stupid, the judge would not even wait to sentence him. Federal judge Sandra Townes remanded him immediately as he was texting witnesses and lying about his whereabouts.
Nice.
The jurors on this case heard some of the most immortal words spoken by a politician regarding his $79,500 annual salary. Here they are:
“How the hell are you gonna live off of that?”
Good Lord in heaven!
How can he say that with a straight face?
Maybe he should not have made his comment in a well-known Manhattan steakhouse. Keen's Steakhouse to be exact. Now I link the menu because you should take a peek at the prices. Maybe he could live on $79,500 if he wasn't eating at such a place on the taxpayer's dime. I'm not saying he should be dining at McDonald's, but for crying out loud, is there nothing in between? And he does represent a Brooklyn district. Maybe, just maybe he could find decent dinning in his actual district.
But, Mr. Boyland explains that his paltry salary barely pays for his son's tuition and gas. Again, in the fateful words of our special kind of stupid:
“What the hell. That’s maybe my son’s tuition and maybe I pay for some gas, you know?
So, again, how can he eat even lunch at Keen's Steakhouse?
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
Let's see, according to Empire Center, a New York state assembly member makes that $79,500 annual salary and a $171 per day per diem when the assembly is in session and $61 for a half day. And New York state is a full-time legislature. Most states have part-time legislatures. But not New York.
I will concede that the cost of living is higher in the Metro New York City area. But really, Mr. Boyland can't live on that?
Hmm, let's see if one breaks down Mr. Boyland's salary to an hourly rate, he would be making $41.41c an hour in an eight-hour day.
Maybe if Mr. Boyland did a little something called financial planning, he could afford his son's tuition. The article does not indicate if the son is in college or secondary school.
Needless to say, Mr. Boyland is a Democrat. When it comes to these kind of corruption cases, it usually involves a Democrat. For some reason, big-city Dems have the market on corruption. Not to say that the long arm of corruption does not extend to Republicans. It sure does. One of the most infamous cases involves former congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Cal.). To me, he was the GOP version of this Boyland dude. Creepy from the get-go. And Mr. Boyland is not a rookie to all of this. His father and uncle served in the state assembly and a sister is on the New York City city council.
The disease known as greed is why some people get involved in politics in the first place. With all the anti-corruption laws in place throughout the United States, somehow there are a boat load of pols that seek ways to get around them and become a William Boyland, Jr.
The second case of annoying and or corrupt politicians leads to one of my favs, Sen. John "F--- You" McCain and his stirring defense of the GOP trifecta of losing presidential candidates. That trifecta is former Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.), Sen. "F--- You" McCain himself and the 2012 loser, former Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romeny.
Last week at the annual Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tx.) was explaining that he thought three out of the last four Republican presidential candidates did not do such a great job in their runs for the White House. In Sen. Cruz' comments, he said that they were not really conservative enough and seemed too squishy for his taste.
So, Sen. "F--- You" McCain did not like that Sen. Cruz mentioned his friend, former Sen. Dole. Fine, whatever. But here is where Sen. "F--- You" McCain saved his venom, as he often does, for fellow Republicans. Here ya go:
I wonder if he thinks that Bob Dole stood for principle on that hilltop in Italy when he was so gravely wounded and left part of his body there fighting for our country?
Now as Allahpundit over at Hotair.com notes, Sen. Cruz said that all three were good and decent men. And they are. And especially former Sen. Dole.
But the cheap shot from Sen. "F--- You" McCain is to indicate that one cannot criticize anyone who served their nation in war time. Before I continue, here is Sen. Cruz entire speech to CPAC:
I would say to watch for yourself and see if Sen. Cruz is somehow criticizing former Sen. Dole for his service to our nation. He is not. And Allahpundit is spot on about how, especially in the cases of both former Sen. Dole and Sen "F--- You" McCain, they totally ran their campaigns on their biography which included their war service. When it came to articulating the differences they had with their respected Democrat opponents, they did have a hard time. No question that their handlers, as well as Mr. Romney's, were going to not get into the weeds about the differences in ideology. That is a fact.
And what Sen. Cruz was saying is without a contrast, voters were going to vote for the incumbent or the other guy. Again a fact.
I think that Sen. Cruz needs to really turn his attention from fellow Republicans to Democrats especially with the mid-term elections coming in November.
But this is standard fare for Sen. "F--- You" McCain.
Wonder why he is known here as Sen. "F--- You" McCain?
I have explained before, but new readers probably do not know.
During the heat of the 2007 debate over so-called "comprehensive" immigration reform, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tx) objected to Sen. McCain trying to ram the bill through. The dialogue went like this:
"Wait a second here. I've been sitting in here for all of these negotiations and you just parachute in here on the last day. You're out of line," to which McCain replied, "Fuck you! I know more about this than anyone else in the room."
Charming.
The problem that Sen. Cruz does not want to have hanging on him is that he saves his venom for fellow Republicans. That is what has happened over the years with Sen. "F--- You" McCain.
Why do I loathe Sen. "F--- You" McCain, even though I voted for the 2008 GOP presidential candidate?
Because he has been a congressman and senator since 1986. He will have spent 30 years in Washington by the time his current senate term ends in 2016. He is a creature of Washington. He speaks Washingtonese.He himself almost became embroiled in the Keating Five scandal of the late 1980s. He was lucky that he came out of it relatively unscathed. He talks about the earmarks that almost all congressmen do as if most Americans understand what that means. It is something that is barely a full one percent of the federal budget. It makes him seem to be a hawk on government spending. He talks about all the pals he has in the senate. And his intransigent stand on foreign military endeavors and so-called "comprehensive" immigration reform do remove him from those that elected him time and time again.
That is what Sen. Cruz was articulating. That one should stick to what they believe and not get caught up in the Washington Beltway nonsense. Clearly over the years, former Sen. Dole and Sen. "F--- You" McCain became Washington.
What do these two things have to do with each other?
One pol thinks that he should find illegal ways for additional income because he can't live like, well probably most of his constituents.
The other gets caught up in the years he has spent in government and forgets why he claimed to run in the first place.
Both feel a certain sense of entitlement because they are politicians. They have made a career of politics.
The Founding Father's intent was that people would run for office and serve in a part-time capacity. That they would go back when they weren't legislating to their careers and be part of the people that they serve.
But now, politics has become a career. It is truly bipartisan. Does not matter if one is a Republican or a Democrat. They see themselves as an entitled class and the voters as saps to vote for them in the first place.
These are but two reasons why a lot of the American people hate politics and politicians.
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