A politician wanted desperately to win the post of local chief executive. He wanted it so badly that he gave every voter 500 pesos. The voters were impressed by his generosity and overwhelmingly voted him into office. Everyone thought it was a win-win situation. Then, tragedy struck. A fire gutted out the town hospital and the flames jumped to the local school next door and consumed that too.

After the fire had been put out, the townspeople approached their newly elected chief executive, reminded him that they had voted for him and asked him to rebuild the hospital and the school for them. The chief executive looked at them and said: “Why should I? I don’t owe you anything anymore. Haven’t I already paid for all of your votes?”

This story isn’t as apocryphal as you may think.