Lingering Aftermath

After 26/11, I have read various posts, several e-mails forwarded, watched quite a few TV programs and read the news. I feel compelled to add my own POVs to the babel out there, partly to clarify my own thoughts and partly to see if anyone out there agrees with some of these POVs.
1. In a democracy, there ought not to be any 'us and them' between government and the people. A poster I saw on TV said it aptly--politician, you are our (the people's) servant'.
2. Therefore from point 1 above, we have to vote to get the government we want (to some extent).
3. The politician is just another citizen of our country like you or me. If he is corrupt/is interested only in himself and family, that obviously shows that the vast majority of us are like that. Now if somebody says that only the worst kind go into politics, what's to stop somebody with better morals from going into it?
4. In one of those TV discussions in the aftermath, somebody suggested that we should not pay taxes. I don't see how not paying taxes punishes our politicians. We punish ourselves. If we want the policeman to have a decent salary and for him to be trained and armed properly, that money has to come from taxes, or is anybody planning to sponsor the upgrading of our policemen? Why is there so much tax evasion in the country?

I feel when we criticize our politicians, we should also think about changing ourselves. Let's not decry someone's outlook based on their caste/religion. Let's all turn out to vote at every election. Let's not use influence/money to get us out of a queue or out of a tight spot. Let's teach our children to follow the laws of our country, not implying that those who follow rules are wimps. Let's each of us work together in our work places, without using office politics to put someone else down. Let's realise that sometimes for the good of all, we have to give up a bit of ourselves.

That's my POV. Feel free to add what you feel.