Selling the nation!

My recent meeting with a public representative, considered volatile by many, pushed up my adrenalin level by a few inches. The issue was that of illegal encroachments on railway land. Being one of the the many custodians of the land that is national property, I get agitated at attempts by certain vested interests to usurp it under the garb of "caring for the poor and downtrodden".

Why do the messiah's of this nation display their caring attitude for the so called poor and the downtrodden by dispensing national property through dubious means. If one has genuine feelings for the poor, one should stick his neck out and help others by loosening his own purse strings. Taking this line even further, I am aghast that many in the bureaucracy too belong to the same breed and exploit the organization for currying favors from their superiors and anyone who can even be of transitory personal help to them.

The widespread sloth often leads me to wonder as to what is the true calling of a government officer. Is it to curry favors with powers that be with the hope of maybe occupying a high chair someday or for other transitory gains, or is it something much bigger and more valuable. While the answer is obvious, yet the behaviour and attitude of the majority of the bureaucracy cutting across sectors and services often makes one think otherwise. Yet the saving grace remains that still there are many in the service who have the capacity to hold their heads high in a nation where "loot" both petty as well as substantial by the custodians has become the order of the day.

My simple query as to why the messiah's do not offer one of the bedrooms in their house to the poor instead of settling them on national property followed by a statement that for dispensing largesse, one should loosen his own purse strings rather than that of the exchequer led to an amicable end of the meeting.