Should politicians have a say?
414585
Yes because many researches are government funded and politicians are the people we elect to run the government. This means we give them the power to decide what our money (i.e. tax dollars) is spent on. If politicians didn't have a say then scientists could come up with any and every thing to research and possibly waste many tax dollars.
240737
Elected representatives are supposed to act in the best interests of their constituents. This would include the President. There is however no defined way for our politicians to calculate what the interests of the people are. Once in office, they exercise the powers of the office the way they see fit. As citizens we can write letters to express our interests. If enough letters are received, this may sway opinion. The constitution also grants us the right to peaceably assemble and have our grievances heard by the government.\n\nHow far we can push the administration depends on how willing the administration is to listen to its citizens. That is something important to consider when electing people to office. Once in office, politicians are very hard to remove unless they are doing something illegal. The good news is that political offices have terms and if you disagree with the administration, you will have a chance to fix it in the next election.
803835
yes, in order to be a politician, you have to be a great manipulator, but not a liar... in fact, nobody can tell the truth everytime, so what politicians do is to tell the truth in a way that it is convenient. I see nothing wrong with that. Instead of saying "I hate you", they may say "I don't like you very much"
676354
Absolutely. They should be encouraged to see the way our Parliament system / senate is run and how the actions of politics affects our lives.
816172
In the U.K. it should be a majority of all parties in both houses of parliament that should make the decision, and not just the government. The ordinary citizens do not always have all the required information due to secrecy laws.
291927
The people should define the government.
1153118
The problem with government and politics in  general today, is the major concern being re-election. Politicians will aften make certain deals under the table with other politicians regarding certain bills, for example, the politician will agree to vote or shoot down certain bills in order to gain a return vote from the politician or politicians spearheading that bill, on bills that politician may try to present and push in the future. This of course can tick off constituents, so politicians wil try to gain favor with the constituents by taking the popular vote on bills based on what thier constituents want or need when its an election year. It's called flip-flop politics. John Kerry being a prime example.
1087481
Why not, politics is basically a popularity contest anyway... would be nice to see them have to work at what they 'choose to do'.
1099207
they would have to really pay attention to what the politcians are saying as well as impling.  Today, we live in such a fast paced world that it tends to be easier to let the other person take care of that part for us.
433161
being an American living in the UK, maybe i am in a unique position to answer.\n\nunfortunately/or fortunately according to their view, politicians don't have a private life, being in their position.  they should live to a higher standard, be honest about their private life, not use it when it suits, and hide behind privacy when it doesn't.
779796
no. What's the point?  Let the politicians do the worrying.
920584
The States should definitely have more say in their own affairs. For the most part, they do, but the Feds always threaten to cut funding to the States that don't pass certain legislation. One recent example being the speed limit in Montana. Until this year, there was no speed limit in that State, but they caved in to the Feds to hold on to funding.\n\nThe Federal government should only exist to protect its citizens, act as our representative to the rest of the world, and help maintain national infrastructure. Everything else should be left to each State to provide.
730036
The vast majority of politicians are admirably suited to running a variety of small businesses. Schools in sophistry for example, a little out of fashion outside of Plato's Athens admittedly. Or a more contemporary example; John Prescott could breed pugs, thoough one might have difficulty telling businessman and merchandice apart. The list goes on.
735483
You hit the problem right on the head. A good answer would be a mix of both views if the public is totally against you you should follow the public unless the public wants to ignore or over ride the constitution. If the public doesn't care or is evenly split then the politicians personal convictions should win out. That would solve the problem don't you think?
480993
No, because it doesn't matter if you do vote. Politicians do what they want not what they're elected for, and most voting systems don't allow proper representation.
962500
IT DOESN'T MATTER\n\nALL POLITICIANS LIE
1103349
let the people decide\n\nim worried now.