Have you ever had the experience when your nephew contacted you and said he needed a place to stay for a couple of days? Here it is, 30 days later, and he is still at your house, waiting for that job offer to come through.

That reminds me of politicians who want your vote after 20 years. We are approaching what some people refer to as the silly season, or the political season. This is where seemingly normal people believe that America can do without them. I appreciate people who put themselves out in front of the public and ask for your vote. It just seems to me that after eight years or a couple of terms, these decent and honorable people change.

My experience has been that when politicians have been in office for a while, instead of humbly asking for your vote, they expect your vote. The latest figure that I have seen is that members of Congress get re-elected over 90 percent of the time. We all know what a lousy job Congress is doing, henceforth, the need for term limits. There’s an old saying: Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. I don’t care whether you are on the cemetery board or on the school board. There should be term limits. Sen. Robert “Sheets” Byrd (D-W.Va.) and former head of the Ku Klux Klan has been in office for more than 40 years. That to me is a classic example of too much.

Human beings tend to be hardwired to become passionate when they first try something new. However, over time, the newness wears off and the ego kicks in. That is when politicians believe they are entitled to these positions. It seems that every day you see politicians cheating on their wives, and then they begin cheating on us.

What that does to the public is diminish our belief in the democratic process. That is one of the reasons why I believe in smaller government. The smaller the government, the less chance of people becoming drunk with power.

I worked back in Washington, D.C. It’s an exciting place, but it is also a place where one, even a lowly staff person, can become full of himself. I don’t want to paint a picture that all politicians are crooked. I have had the honor to meet some of the greats — people who put country first. People who wanted to do the right thing by this country of ours. If a person has a belief that they want to give back to the community, by all means run for office. I just hope that you have a passion to help people, and not just to help yourself.

This is a country that needs courageous people who are willing to put it all out there. Some will know the exhilaration of victory, and some will know the tragedy of defeat. In the end, it’s not the direction you set out for you. It is the destination that awaits you that matters most. No excuses.