Growing up in the little town of Lexington, SC was special for me. I had the unique privilege of meeting and knowing some very respectable politicians back when it was considered an honor to be in politics.

My grandfather, Elias S. Mack, Sr. was the first politician I got to know in my life. He was a self-made man who came to this country from Beirut, Lebanon. Like so many immigrants in his day, he was self-made because he simply had no option. He had no education and could barely speak English. If he was going to make it in life, he'd have to do it all on his own.

He traveled the countryside selling dry goods and perishables from the back of a horse drawn wagon before opening up a number of establishments around Lexington including a pastry shop, a grocery store and a jewelry store. Later, he second wife, Tina, my step-grandmother, opened one of the first kindergarten and day care centers.

My grandfather's real name was Elias Skaff, but when he came through Ellis Island, NY, the immigration officer suggested, "You need to change that name mac." So my grandfather took the adopted last name "Mack."

He served as Mayor Lexington before it was determined he was not an American citizen. His close friend, then Governor Strom Thurmond, helped him to earn his citizenship.

Governor Thurmond, who would later become Senator Thurmond, was the second politician I met. He would come over to my grandfather's house because he loved Queenie's cooking. Queenie was the family maid and cook and her down home country cooking coupled with the Lebanese dishes she learned from my granddaddy made her meals the talk of the town.

My uncle, Elias S. Mack, Jr. was another of the many politicians I admired growing up. Forty years to the day after his father was elected Mayor of Lexington, he was also elected, almost by the same identical vote of the elder Mack.

These men were in politics because they knew how to contribute to society, and it was a privilege for them to serve. Today, about the nicest thing you can say about a politician is that "he's one of us." The fact of the matter is, I don't want "one of us" representing me. I'd really like to have someone who is a notch above the rest of us… someone who is special.

The Eli Mack's (Senior and Junior) and the Strom Thurmond's of the world understood the privilege of serving and were admired and loved for it.

Someone asked me when I ran for the House of Representatives in 1980 against the popular Representative Larry Koon, "Why do you want to be in politics?" I guess you had to grow up around the Mack family, and you had to have been privileged to meet people like Strom Thurmond and Congressman Floyd Spence to understand the motivation. My only problem was I was a Democrat!

Larry Koon kicked my butt pretty good back in 1980, but running for office was one of the most unique and interesting experiences I ever had in my life.

I got beat so bad that a friend of mine came up to me in the post office the next day and suggested "If I didn't have any more friends than that, I'd carry a gun if I were you."

I recall going to the late Dr. J.S. Liverman, who delivered me into this world, to ask for his vote. "I ain't gonna vote for you boy," he advised me. "I don't want to see you get ruined by becoming a politician. I like you too much."

Such is the life of politicians. Some people would not vote for you because the liked you too much. I suspect that Dr. Liverman's relationship with Larry Koon also had a lot to do with his decision to support him. Larry understood good constituent relations. Dr. Liverman reminded me that Larry had just brought him a chord of wood two days before I asked for his vote.

As it turned out, that was my first and last effort at politics. It was a terrific experience, but I never want to go through it again. I came away with a profound respect for what people go through to run for office and a special appreciation for the Machiavellian requirements of the profession.

In short, I found it's cheaper to own a politician than it is to be one. Just kidding…. but not much!