Well, if 'politics' is the art of getting something done, then 'politicians' are those who get things done... It should not inherently be a dirty word.

I truly believe that most people enter politics with the goal of making things better, but that the pursuit of perceived power is so seductive that it corrupts all but the most principled. I say 'perceived' power, because another cause of corruption, I think, is the recognition that it is VERY difficult indeed to get enough power to make an actual difference, so the person may take the easy way. Have enough people do that- and you have the kind of mess we have today.

Little Hawk, you said: Imagine a government that is not divided into 2 or 3 or 4 competing power blocs that hate each other most of the time... I think part of the problem is that they DON'T hate each other; they understand each other very well. Kind of like the bitter-enemy professional 'wrestlers' who were seen leaving the arena in the same car.