Winston Churchill once said that democracy was the worst system of government developed by man, except for every other system ever developed.

The point I think he was trying to make is that the democratic system of voting and representation makes sense, but that it is driven by politics, a thing that is sometimes silly and not connected to the reality of regular folks. And let me tell you politics is a contact sport, a tough business.

Don't get me wrong, politics is important and a worthwhile endeavor. It is how we elect our representatives. It is where we bring up issues, it is how we campaign on ideas and on our records, and it is why we choose sides via political parties. Yet politics can be brought quickly to the ridiculous or the fictitious.

After elections are over and the time to move our state forward is at hand, politics can make doing your job to represent your constituents and fight for their best welfare difficult, because of the drive to find false conflicts that has become the bread and butter of political consultants and at times the news media.

In Montgomery, 95 percent of the votes taken in the Statehouse are unanimous, Democrats voting with Republican and Republicans voting with Democrats. Last year there were unanimous votes for the state education budget and other major measures. The system of committees, which has a diverse make-up from both parties, listens to public input and then debates, amends, and compromises on legislation, which, when it passes, is usually positive for the vast majority of the entire state.

Yet if you listen to pundits or political operatives you'd think it was bedlam in the Legislature. While it didn't help matters when Sen. Bishop threw a punch on the floor a few years back (the politics of the ridiculous), the fact is the work that goes on and the public policy developed is done with a minimum of acrimony.

However, there are differences, and they often are defined by the actions of the two parties and their members.

Folks may not know this: the Democratic Party has been a majority in both houses of the Legislature for more than 135 years in Alabama. In that time Alabama consistently rates as having the lowest taxes in the United States, and some of the lowest utility rates. With Governor Jim Folsom, Jr. capturing Mercedes in 1993, and Siegelman luring Honda and Hyundai to Alabama, our state became the key area for automobile manufacturing in the South.

Alabama State government lives within its means every year with a balanced budget. Governor Riley attempted a billion dollar tax increase in the first year of his administration, and the voters defeated his plan.

Since then we have had disagreements in the Statehouse among parties and supports of the governor over things like tax loopholes for major corporations, the grocery tax, electronic bingo and how to deal with proration. They are real and substantial differences, and we continue to have disagreements that will probably be highlighted in next year's elections, as they should be.

However, there are some issues that are just pure politics. We hear a lot of talk from Republicans about the Legislative pay raise. For the most part, Democrats thought the Legislature needed a pay raise, not having one since 1991. Most Republicans voted against it, and the governor made a show of opposing it.

Here is where empty politics comes in. The governor gets an automatic pay raises every year. Republicans in the House and Senate have also taken the raise. Only three out of 140 legislators have turned it down.

I voted my honest convictions by voting "yes" on the pay raise. My Republican friends voted "no" and took the money. Many privately thanked their Democratic colleagues for their pay raise votes.

Now watch how the politics of this plays out over the next year.