Acting political

Before the real hubbub of midterm elections, it's time we contemplate our political legacy. Someday, we will all be judged as a society based solely on the public servants we elect, which leaves me wondering what future generations will say about ours. \nI imagine that if history keeps repeating itself on its dismal loop, we will be known as the generation that took "E! Talk Soup" a little too seriously. \nCertainly, the Ronald Reagan phenomenon is not our fault, and we have our parents (and California) to blame for the impetus of the actor-politician phenomenon. But we also have the power to stop it here and now, and the first step is to own up to or mistakes -- Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesse Ventura (whatever you might believe, Ventura's an actor). The second step is to prevent it from happening again.\nFor those of you who live under a political rock, Warren Beatty has just revealed that he might announce his candidacy to oppose Schwarzenegger in California's next gubernatorial election. God help us all.\nThere are four reasons why actors should never be politicians.\nThe first reason is that actors are paid liars. They have, in fact, spent their whole lives training to be the best liar, and their pay is based on how well they do it. Yes, politicians too are paid liars, but the difference is that actors are good at it. The public knows politicians lie, but they tend to vote for the politicians whose lies are the least pathetic. Meanwhile, Schwarzenegger sold his obvious lies hook, line and sinker, and only now are Californians paying for it. \nSecond, actors have no political experience. We ask most politicians to work their way up and prove themselves before being given the carte blanche to govern a state, but somehow actors are exempt from that prerequisite. Sure, they've been on TV and traveled to other countries, but only to interact with other rich people. And unlike notable "Washington outsider" campaigns, such as that of Howard Dean, they can't claim to have the everyman perspective, because of reason number three.\nWhat is number three? Actors are disconnected from reality. They have millions of adoring fans who support their actions no matter how dumb. People are constantly there to make excuses for them, and since actors, like the royal family in England, are generally irrelevant, everyone just accepts them. The result of their royal treatment tends to lead to a God complex, and we all know what happens when politicians have a God complex.\nFinally, all the previous circumstances lead to one final conclusion: actors tend to be crazy. It's part of the reason we love celebrities; their ridiculous antics offer us an escape from reality. Just watch Tom Cruise. Would you even let someone like him baby-sit your child while you ran to the 7-Eleven? No. \nThere's no reason to make the American political system more of a caricature than it already is. Or is there? Elect Warren Beatty: "He's not an actor, but he plays one on TV"