What's in It for Me?

There is a television commercial currently airing advertising "Repower America."

In the commercial, a man says he's been reading about Washington these days, "And, I just gotta ask, what's in it for me?"

He then proceeds to explain what he wants for his children. his wife, and himself.

I just gotta ask, why do we "just gotta ask, what's in it for me?" When do we begin asking, "What's good for America?"

As long as our first question about public policy continues to be self-interested, we are probably not going to continue to succeed at self-governance.

As an aside, I found it an interesting commentary that some sophisticated advertising executive somewhere thought it would be an effective way to "sell" public policy to focus on self-interest to the exclusion of the common good.