How many have already figured out that they're intentionally sabotaging public service positions?

I'm not talking about the federal level where Bush cronies are being appointed to look the other way, or worse, destroy reports that would support decisions that would undermine the public safety, health and welfare. I'm talking about the local and state level. How many people have figured out that charismatic business types are going for those positions with the motivation to undermine them so they don't interfere with small business?

Take this for an example:

Take two candidates for something that nobody ever understands: Soil and Water. You know absolutely nothing about the job and even less about the candidates. Let's say the paper does a responsible job and does its best to give you background information without endorsing anyone. One candidate stands out because he says the magic words. He says that he will fight for the PUBLIC and that's where he is different from his opponent who does not believe that the role of the soil and water guy involves supporting higher rates for water guzzlers (this is just a paraphrased example.)

Okay, so you vote for the guy who you believe understands the problem and will do something about it. Then the election takes place and Guy No. 1 wins and that's a good thing. You don't know why, but you feel it was the right decision.

Then something happens and you realize just how good it was when you receive an e-mail from someone who ran the campaign for the guy who lost. Keep in mind that the guy who lost is incredibly charismatic and has raised a wonderful family. You can't say more positive things about this person and his family, but then you get that e-mail and it's from someone in his family you respect, and what you read is this: We lost because our opponent is the incumbent and he had no real job so he was able to go outside the polls to campaign during normal working hours. Deeper in the e-mail you read comments that only a flaming Republican would make.

Now, when you put it all together, don't you ask yourself, why would this charismatic business type want to run for a job, that he doesn't even consider a real job? What was he planning to do if he had won?

Now, I'm saying that it's time to see who controls these jobs, and maybe not just the kind of jobs where you have to run for election, or get appointed into, but jobs like Mitigation Banks, and find out who owns them, or who operates them. It's time for a quality check so that the public can get information to determine if people are using them for personal, private leverage and, thus, undermining their true purpose. Because this, here, is the disconnect. The public needs to understand that those who propose "small government" will automatically give them "bad government" because there is no selfless purpose in their taking the job.