Hugh Appet

It's all about money. It costs too much to get elected. And naturally, a politician is going to influenced by those who can get them or give them enough money to get elected.

The other big problem is the media or what used to be called the press. They have grown too rich, self satisfied and lazy. And they are quasi celebrities.

Aside from public financing of elections, I wanted to take Newt Gingrich's idea of some years ago to make a new Boystown and reverse it. Make a Congresstown. Make our representatives in Congress actually feel like servants and beggars. Let them live in dorms. Let them take turns doing laundry and cooking. Let them learn about the "dignity of work" they like to characterize minimum wage jobs as. And finally, they should not be paid more than the median income family of four.

They are public servants. They need to know what it means and feels like to be a servant.