People in the military don't get paid a ton. They also put their lives on the line to defend our freedoms. This gap between what they put in and what they get out, is what we call "service." Nobody serves more than they do. Police and firefighters serve as well, for the same reasons.
Clergy also serve. They work for others and don't get rich doing it (in most cases).
People in the government, however, serve no more than a Wall Street executive. They work, and they are paid. Some do an excellent job. And they are compensated. But it really gets under my skin when a legislator in Washington talks about their "service." In today's case, it's Charlie Rangel, who responded to his ethics conviction by saying, ""I can only hope that the full committee will treat me more fairly, and take into account my entire 40 years of service to the Congress before making any decisions on sanction." Mr. Rangel, who claims that he can't afford a lawyer, makes $174,000 a year to be a congressman. Maybe the committe got his ethics charges wrong (maybe not), but I can't understand how people in Washington claim to "serve," by getting paid that much. And it's not just the elected officials. Check out http://www.legistorm.com/ and see for yourself.
Just had to get that out. I feel much better now, thanks.
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