ubiquitin: When someone goes into public service, which is important work but with lousy pay, and emerges wealthy at the end of a long but poor paying career (such as some people we know from our own community, not to mention the Clintons, not to mention a lot of Israeli politicians), it suggests that perhaps they weren’t as dedicated to the public good as they want people to believe.
If someone services the public without enrichment themselves, it probably indicates someone who wants to serve the ???? ????? ??????.
When we see gedolim involved in public affairs it tends to be of the former type. And many of the baal ha-battim who get into politics, seem to be of the latter.