What skills do you most revere in a public servant???

[i4indyguy]

Mandatory response for all:    Please list your votes in order of preference. 


The rest is:

Free discussion about your choices, and why politicians with those experiences are attractive to your worldview.

Have at it!!!!!!!!!!
I'll start.

[i4indyguy]

Hold

[OSR stands with Israel]

Military Vet and Small Business Owner

[Antonio the Sixth]

Grew up near poverty line > Minority > Legislative experience > Field expert/PhD

[progressive85]

Poverty.  The poorer the public servant, the more I trust

[tik 🪀✨]

penmanship. it is strongly correlated with competence (this is why you should never ever have surgery)

[Blue3]

- Grew up in family near Poverty Line

- Field Expert/Scientist



- Civil Service





- Minority






(next would be Military Veteran... then legislative experience, then small business owner.)

[nicholas.slaydon]

Field Expert and Legislative Experience.

[Confused Democrat]

Civil service, grew up near poverty line, legislative experience.

[angus]

Expert in the field first, because there's really no substitute for wisdom.
Poverty upbringing next, because if you can get from there to public service, it shows tenacity.
Military experience third, because I think men who have crawled around in mud and dodged the enemy's fire will think twice before sending our people into battle.
Small business experience fourth, because I think previous executive experience is helpful.
 

[pbrower2a]

I had only one -- legislative experience. That allows one to know how the government really works. The others might be nice, but they are mostly irrelevant. Someone who can't get into law school probably lacks the nimbleness of mind to hold really-high office.  This said, I am satisfied that Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower were Law School material.

PhD scientist/engineer? Brilliant, but generally limited in experiences. Such people are followers and not leaders. You let them do what they do best, and they are usually easy to manage unless you seek to violate the scientific method.

Military service? About every male of a certain age has it if there was a major war when he was a young man. People with military service might be more hesitant to turn to warfare as a solution to his personal concerns. We have had more than enough chicken-hawks in public life. 

Clergy? People can have solid moral values without having ever been clergy.

Level of income? People who grow up poor might have huge resentments to deal with. People growing up in privilege might have overweening senses of entitlement.

Owning and operating a business? Think of what we have now.

Government employment in the civil service? Teachers aren't usually civil service, but they are often limited in the range of their knowledge. What does working in the post office have to do with preparation for high office?

[i4indyguy]

Voted:
1. Legislative Experience
2. C-Level executive
3. Military experience
4. Minority or some sort.


Legislation is the core competence of any office holder. Aside from winning the job in the first place. This seems like a no brainer.

I was struggling to chose between big business exec and small business owner. Small business keeps you closer to the ground, with broad responsibility, but I like the idea of having worked at the cutting edge of industry; there is also an international/worldly component that could come from this, which I find attractive.

Just from observations, minority politicians of any type seem to channel their own experience at the hands of the WASPY powerhouse majority not just to bring attention to their own cause, and others who share that.    More importantly, it seems they are more empathetic towards other minority experiences which they don't personally share. 

One of the most powerful tools for striking the right balance between majority preference and minority protections is to mentally walk in anothers shoes.  I don't support 'affirmative action' at the elected level, but appropriately shaped laws can help ease the worst instincts of people living in a multi ethnic/cultural society.

[Mercenary]

The most important things would be honesty, selflessness, and intelligence.

Since you cannot really know any of those traits to well I suppose what I would be most impressed with would probably be something like significant volunteer experience that continued throughout their life and wasnt just to get into college or find themself.

As for professions probably things like teacher, historian, scientist, etc.

Our leaders have typically been mostly legislative types with some businessmen and military types thrown in. None have really impressed me to be honest. And things people cannot control like being born in a poor home or being a minority would have absolutely zero impsct on my vote.

That all said, from your provided list my choices woild be.

Civil service > Scientist > Vet > Stay at home parent.