As a teenager my dream was to become a U.S. Senator. A few years of studying politics and philosophy as an undergraduate quickly dissuaded me from this ambition. For all of my adult life I have had little respect for politicians or political parties. Even at the local level it is rare to find candidates that deserve support. Even the ones who have called me and successfully wrangled a contribution after pledging to be a champion for water and environmental issues have failed to deliver. Needless to say, I am a deep skeptic. As Plato wrote over 2,000 years ago, the desire for office should disqualify you. Nevertheless, I am doing something extremely uncharacteristic and endorsing Phil Chang for Deschutes County Commissioner. I have lived in Central Oregon for 20 years and Phil is the only local politician who has educated themselves about local environmental issues, including water, and consistently advocated and voted accordingly.