Listening to the radio earlier in the week, a commercial referenced a joke likening a dog chasing its tail to a politician. Once upon a time, this nation’s leaders were heroes; now they are punch lines.

The Louisiana Legislature is wrapping up its regular session Monday, and the only real accomplishment that can be gleaned from the weeks of daily meetings is a major education overhaul that seems to have been rushed through the body. What’s more, many consider the overhaul a step in the wrong direction for the state’s public schools. At the very least, it seems the result will be drawing fewer qualified people to teach at public schools in Louisiana. As a worst-case scenario, many involved in public education feel it could threaten the very existence of the institution.

A quick review of the Legislature’s agenda as it prepares to adjourn for the year shows a slate filled with unnecessary commendations and board appointments. Meanwhile, the state’s budget woes are no closer to being solved, and bills that could make a real and tangible difference, such as a ban on talking on a cellphone while driving or a ban on smoking in casinos and bars, die year after year on the floor of the Legislature mainly because of lobbyists and the almighty dollar.

And that is the real crux of the matter. Politicians no longer have serving the people as their main objective. Instead, they seem more intent on lining their own pockets or furthering their own ambitions.

The result is a government without conviction or even direction. Whereas it was once generally accepted that the work of government, although it took place behind closed doors, was for the benefit of the people, now that trust is gone, eroded by decades of misdeeds and disappointment.

It is time to stop giving politicians a free pass when it comes to getting things done. It’s time to demand more from those who are supposed to serve the people. When is the last time government made a positive impact on your life?