I take your point, the problem has more to do with the structure of the campaign system than the individuals who run for office. The is much to much money involved, even at the local level. If there was less need to raise huge amounts of money to run for office, it would attract different types of people. The major hurtle seems to be the court's interpretation that campaign donations are a form of free speech that can't be limited by law. I don't know how to fix that problem.

Honestly, I don't know how well-intentioned people have the patience to participate in the current process; it appears incredibly frustrating. I'm used to being able to identify problems and getting them corrected in a relatively short amount of time. I guess "working from the inside" of politics requires a different skill set than mine. Not to sound less than humble, but I'm very good at what I do and I would suck at politics; I intend to spend my time doing what I'm able to do well.

BTW, Larry's comments are interesting; telling someone they should run for office has become an insult in some segments of this country. I don't know how the political process is supposed to overcome that much cynicism. Many people assume that everyone seeking office is doing so for financial gain of because they have an enormous ego. Although that may be true in some cases, I doubt it is true in the majority of cases; but being extemely cynical has become fashionable in recent decades.

There's nothing wrong with TX, I will be spending most of the next two months working there. I know a couple of dozen people who live and work there, they are very nice folks. It is entertaining to make fun of some of the local culture, they can be a little "over the top."

I do think the whole "truck culture" is very silly and I would like to see non-commercial trucks regulated like cars. In many parts of the country, these types of trucks are used as cars and should be subject to the same safety and emissions standards as cars. It is very silly that Benz and VW have to jump through hoops to sell diesel cars while we are surrounded with these useless vehicles. I have no problem with "real trucks" that are used for work, but these things should be gone. Rant over.