"Robert A. Heinlein - Take back your Government" - читать интересную книгу автора (Heinlein Robert A)

(Incidentally, keep your eye on school boards; they tend to disregard the
constitutional rights of the public even worse than do judges.)
Churches, women, and elderly people have come in for quite a lambasting
in this chapter; it is gratifying to emphasize that from these very groups you
will get your most effective and altruistic volunteer workers. Embattled
grandparents, militant housewives, and crusading clergymen will be your
best shock troops. The rank and file of your organization will be young
people, usually less than thirty-five years old - a man under thirty-five who
cannot be induced to take any action for the welfare of his community and
nation is morally dead and blind to his own personal interests; it is usually
easy to interest young people in volunteer political activity. They have not yet
acquired the casehardened selfishness of their elders; they are enthusiastic,
energetic, and they believe in the future.
But of the four groups, the young, the old, women past girlhood, and the
clergy, young people are the only ones to be approached with no particular
caution. The others are guilty until proven innocent from a standpoint of
usefulness in volunteer political work.
Clergymen, although usually worse than useless, make wonderful
altruistic politicians when they happen to possess both love of humanity and
hardheaded realism. Too often the ones that are bright aren't good and the
ones that are good aren't bright. Catholic priests are usually both and you
can work with them to limit the issues in which you both see eye to eye. If
you happen to be Catholic yourself the problem is simple.
The same may be said of rabbis, to a lesser extent.
"Politicians are usually crooks."


27
 This statement is false; it is likely that no other canard has done more
harm to the United States of America.
The statement is false even when it is limited to machine politicians and
bosses. Political bosses are not more crooked than the average run of non-
political laymen; they are less crooked.
I know my statement runs contrary to popular prejudice. I am aware that
graft, bribery, nepotism, special privilege, and outright official connivance in
crime and racketeering have stained and continue to stain our public life. I
still stand by the statement.
Consider how a political boss operates. His purpose is to stay in power
not this term, but next term, and the term after that. To do that he has to have
a majority of satisfied customers - the public - you! Despite all stuffing of
ballot boxes, despite thuggery and intimidation at the polls, there is rarely (I
am tempted to say "never") a time when aroused citizenry cannot throw him
out of power and sometimes into jail as well. He cannot operate with the
impunity of a Hider. On the average he has to please you.
The successful political boss has to stay fairly honest. Just how honest
that is depends on how honest the electorate is. His success depends on
delivering to the public what the public really wants; not what you the public
say you want when you are busy complaining, in private conversation, about
those crooks in die city hall.
Have you ever had a traffic ticket fixed? Have you ever slipped an