Don't rat on those people who will have a crack Parliament House Victoria. NOBODY likes rats. This week came news there's a plague of them in a prominent city landmark otherwise known as Parliament House. The story was broken by Labor MP Jill Hennessy, outraged by the stench of the foul little intruders, three of which she busted in her own office. Officials have blamed the drought and stone works on the front steps of the dilapidated old place. Not that rats would look out of place in a 19th century building no party has ever had the political guts to finish, let alone properly restore. But they're chewing and pooing their way through the Opposition offices in the House's bowels and next stop is the main parliamentary chambers. If they make it there, we might see what a pox on both houses actually looks like. So what was the most common public response to news of the Spring St plague? It was not one of sympathy for public office holders having to fend off vermin. It was that a rat problem in the House was hardly news. Haven't rodents been swarming its dingy corridors since it opened in 1856 and crapping all over the joint ever since? That is how most people view politicians. They are the warts on the body of society, the people who had too few ethics to stay lawyers. They represent a choice between the disastrous and the unpalatable. They come from the word poly, meaning many, and the word tick, meaning a bloodsucking parasite. And on and on it goes. This week, the nation's politicians are again being pilloried, their characters publicly assassinated. It's on the back of a Budget, though some of it will seem deserved. Last week, it was on the back of a pollie pay rise, triggering waves of public condemnation of lying scumbags who didn't deserve an extra cent. Since that's how they often describe each other -lying scumbags - it's easy to do the same. When vitriolic public sledging of politicians is a national sport, it's easy to join in. And when some of them succeed so spectacularly in defecating on their own nest, then why shouldn't we despise the lot? But as more of a black humour cynic than starry-eyed idealist who's seen the best and worst of politicians up close, I'm sick to death of it. It has crossed the line of harmless irreverence and is heading towards dangerous. Dangerous for democracy and dangerous for those who are prepared to put themselves forward for public office. Here are some home truths. What actually motivates most of them is being prepared to have a crack because they believe in something. I've worked with far more committed campaigners for social good than leaches on the public purse, though they are out there. Depending on their rank, plenty of them work harder and longer than you do. The direction of the state or country is in their hands so they have more responsibilities than you do. There's no guaranteed day off. There's no guaranteed night off. There is no overtime pay. The reward for effort or weekend work is not more money, just seeing less of their children. Unlike most of you, until last week's changes they could be made redundant - at the ballot box - without a cent. For all of that, they get paid less than any comparable job in the "real" world. But they go to work knowing they might be spat on or have food thrown at them. They cop questions about who they're sleeping with or whether they've had an abortion or taken drugs. They forfeit all rights to privacy the second they're sworn in. They sign up to a job with no prospect of advancement, no matter how good they are, unless political cycles and factional stars align. Some of them make bad choices, some of them cheat the system and some of them are no good at their jobs. Just like any profession. The best excuse we can come up for treating the lot of them with such contempt is that we pay their wages and they deserve it. And sometimes they do. But it's time for a national deep breath. Everyone says they could do a better job, but nobody really wants to. Everyone wants to complain about the muppets they elect, but nobody wants to know anything about them before they tick the box. You couldn't pay me enough to do a job like that, but I'm very glad there are people who still will. The good politicians deserve every cent of their pay rise and then some. Just because we wouldn't feed the rest, let's stop lowering the bar on pay - and respect - to the lowest common denominator. If that's where we're going we may as well just call in the exterminators now. Sharon McCrohan is a Herald Sun columnist and was media director for Labor premiers Steve Bracks and John Brumby