Do you think that government representatives truly represent the people or are they more interested in taking care of themselves and their friends and contributors? why or why not?

It's truly dependent upon the area represented. Smaller-level governance is definitely focused on the individual and small group, since the representative is directly responsible and able to communicate openly with their constituents. When the levels reach state and federal representatives, it becomes tougher to directly communicate because of the greater distance (and more levels) between the representative and the constituent.