[Joeri]

Whenever I read a news article where politicians congratulate themselves on almost balancing the budget after raising taxes a bit, I'm struck by just how low the bar is placed, even for important things.

I also keep thinking about the book childhood's end, where aliens land and basically force us to run our things properly, cleaning up the planet's problems in a matter of a few years. I always wonder if we got put to the challenge as a species, whether we could meet it.

[ben_jones]

Think about the bare minimum it would take a software developer not to get fired. It's actually quite low. Now realize how many people do the bare minimum at their job. Including politicians (bare minimum == get elected).

[simik]

What would you call a politician's maximum job performance?

[ben_jones]

Enabling policy that helps citizens inside and outside his/her constituency in life-changing ways. Highly ethical, not afraid to make unpopular decisions if its for the greater good (gay marriage in a conservative region etc.).