Yesterday, first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton launched a “listening tour” in the state of New York. Clinton has formed an exploratory committee that allows her to begin raising money for campaign expenses.

The question on everyone’s minds is why is Clinton running in New York, a state in which she has never lived?

According to CNN, Clinton has responded by saying: “You know, the Senate when it’s at its best, is really there to represent what the people need and how best that it should be accommodated, so I would be, if I run and am honored to be elected, a strong and effective advocate on behalf of the people of New York.”

On the surface this seems reasonable, but Clinton’s residency is not the most alarming aspect of her attempt to become a New York representative.

Clinton is a career politician. She apparently believes that qualifies her to represent the people of New York.

“I think I have some real work to do, to get out and listen and learn from the people of New York and demonstrate that what I’m for is maybe as important, if not more important than where I’m from,” said Clinton.

She is saying that, as a career politician, she can listen to what the people want and tailor her campaign to appease them.

Our forebears never intended for politics to evolve into a full-time occupation. When the Constitution was laid out, the idea was for people to serve in office and then return to private life.

When politicking becomes one’s career, one naturally wants to keep his job. Serving the people takes a back seat to staying in office.

If the people of New York and Clinton see eye to eye, they should elect her. But Clinton apparently needs a “listening tour” to even find out what those ideas are going to be. She offers her history as a politician as evidence that she will be a good representative, and that is backwards logic.

Perhaps the people of New York should support a candidate who already knows his concerns and whose goal is to represent them rather than simply to get into office.