[speaker001:] um I think we can have honest government what do you think
[speaker002:] well I think there are honest people in our government I think it's uh and we do have some checks and balances to keep it honest but I think it's always a real challenge to um
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] make sure that we have people in there that we can count on
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] to be honest
[speaker001:] well I've thought about the politicians that go in and you know they say none of them are honest but I think they're honest when they go in they just keep facing these challenges and not all of them respond favorably to them
[speaker002:] yeah I think there are and have been some things that have been done to maybe make things better you know one thing is the opportunity on our income tax to um allow certain donations
[speaker001:] um-hum um-hum
[speaker002:] to uh be made because a a lot of times I think you know people anybody that runs for a political office has got to either be independently wealthy
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] or they've got to be beholding to somebody to help them
[speaker001:] yeah some special interest group
[speaker002:] yeah and so you know I think if if there were ways that we could get away from that and let just the common man be able to run
[speaker001:] yeah um-hum
[speaker002:] for office that that
[speaker001:] and yeah and of course he runs into a problem he may not can support the two homes and all of the other things even though they have a high salary
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] but it's just uh I think public service was originally meant for public service but it it's gotten to where it's kind of rather hard to do as public service you know they need uh money to operate on and this and that and feed their family and put their kids in college just like everybody else does
[speaker002:] that's right
[speaker001:] and that puts stress
[speaker002:] yeah yeah well my husband has um held public office for a while and not a paid public office I might add and uh if
[speaker001:] um-hum oh that's public service
[speaker002:] yeah that's more public service I guess than public office and it's been a real eye-opener to us course I feel that he's completely honest and
[speaker001:] um-hum hm yes
[speaker002:] what all and there have people been people that have said you know that they how much is he being paid and all this kind of stuff to to do things and
[speaker001:] oh yeah you always have people throwing stones don't you
[speaker002:] yeah well obviously if they ever looked at our house or our car or whatever they would know he's not getting paid anything but um
[speaker001:] yeah well uh I guess that that uh it's it's the way people perceive and they perceive from their own wants too sometimes
[speaker002:] yeah I think that's true
[speaker001:] yeah they want somebody else in so they've got to find something wrong with whoever's there
[speaker002:] yeah that's probably true too
[speaker001:] hm
[speaker002:] but at the same time you know when I go to the polls to vote
[speaker001:] yes
[speaker002:] um I always am real nervous about who I'm voting for even if I have studied the issues and heard what people have had to say and everything because
[speaker001:] um-hum um-hum
[speaker002:] um you don't know really know that person you know and you don't know even if what they say is what they're gonna do and what their real feelings are on a lot of things I mean
[speaker001:] no you don't um-hum well sometimes they don't know that what they say is what they gonna do
[speaker002:] absolutely
[speaker001:] and depends on the situation and that makes it very difficult
[speaker002:] yeah I guess that's a real problem you know I I I don't know how we solve that one because I'm not sure that you can ever especially the the higher up you go you know like a senator or
[speaker001:] um-hum um-hum
[speaker002:] congressman or something like that I don't know how you would ever get to know any of those people well enough to say you know I know this man on a personal basis I know he has integrity and I know he
[speaker001:] um-hum right
[speaker002:] you know
[speaker001:] and to go by voting records and that isn't always right
[speaker002:] yeah or or just read the League of Women Voters answers that they give or
[speaker001:] um-hum yeah
[speaker002:] yeah so it's sometimes you just don't know
[speaker001:] no I just uh kind of do the best you can isn't it
[speaker002:] that's right
[speaker001:] yeah well what do you think about um um the legality or making it illegal to do certain things do you think that helps
[speaker002:] um
[speaker001:] calling them accountable from a a law standpoint
[speaker002:] well that would be nice if we could do that
[speaker001:] yeah well I know uh some of them the Senate Ethics Committee is trying to do that but uh it's really strange that they find someone totally guilty of something and then they go back and talk to their constituency and I'm thinking about one in particular
[speaker002:] oh uh-huh
[speaker001:] and uh then the constituency says oh well he's honest and we want him you know
[speaker002:] oh I can think of one like that also just blows your mind doesn't it oh think so
[speaker001:] yeah I'm sure we both can yeah it sure does and then they've proved that he's lined his pockets and everything else
[speaker002:] yeah oh yeah
[speaker001:] but I