Sometimes I can be quite a jerk. I got a call from a company that was doing a customer satisfaction survey for a service that I had purchased. Knowing that the “just a few questions” would turn into a 20-minute mind-numbing call, I asked for a credit card number.

“Why?” was the logical query from the survey-taker.

“Well,” I replied, “You are calling me because you appear to value my opinion. The only question is — how much do you value my opinion? Are you willing to pay me $50 to answer your questions?”

Stone cold silence. “No sir, I don’t think I can do that. Have a nice evening. Goodbye.” I was heart-broken. Fifty bucks would keep me in Frappucinos all week.

My opinion, clearly, was not worth what I was asking. To put it more succinctly, my surveying friend did not think I was worth it.

We Republicans seem to be asking the same question of a new candidate, Rick Santorum. Is he worth it? Is Santorum worth our investment of money, time and attention? Every other candidate seems to be a disaster at this point.

Rick Santorum is a former senator from Pennsylvania. He served in the House from 1990 until he was elected to the Senate in 1995. He spent 12 years as a senator, moving from outsider to the third-ranking Republican.

He had many impressive accomplishments while in Congress. As a freshman Congressman, he was part of the Gang of Seven that exposed the House banking and post office scandals, in which elected representatives were kiting checks and laundering money.

He helped write the Welfare Reform Act of 1996 that removed many people from welfare roles and sent them back to work. He also led the charge against partial birth abortions through the Born Alive Infant Protection Act.

In 2005, Santorum authored a book called “It Takes a Family.” It was a reaction to the Hillary Clinton book “It Takes a Village.” In Santorum’s book, he emphasized that the destruction of the nuclear family was being encouraged and strengthened by liberal thought and philosophy. The book was widely praised by the Christian community — Protestant and Catholic.

He’s a real tea party guy. Some have even said he was tea party before there was a tea party. Santorum believes in smaller government, entitlement cuts and the repeal of Obamacare.

Santorum is also a strong believer in the Second Amendment, which makes sense, considering he is from a state rich in sporting and hunting tradition. He has consistently opposed frivolous lawsuits against gun manufacturers.

He supports Israel and does not believe that Israeli settlements are the moral equivalent of Hamas terrorism.

He also believes that American history should be taught to children. And not the polluted, twisted garbage that California teaches. He believes in American exceptionalism — that we have a great and unique country and that our history bears out that fact.

What are the knocks against him?

After leaving the Senate, he became a lobbyist and a consultant. He also was a commentator on Fox News. I read several liberal pieces online that breathlessly described how evil this was. Frankly, I’m not seeing it. The guy needed to earn a living, and he used his insider knowledge to do so.

He has been criticized for buying a house in Washington when he criticized his first congressional opponent for doing the same. So what? It’s politics — his opponent was vulnerable on the issue and he took advantage of it. He still has a house in Pennsylvania and pays his taxes there. No opponent will get traction on this one.

Finally, his kids were enrolled in a Pennsylvania charter school while they were living in Washington. Still not seeing it. He maintained his connections to his home state and exercised his personal right to educate his children in the manner that he and his wife deemed best. D.C. schools stink — I don’t blame him a bit.

Is that the best his detractors can do? Wow. Maybe we conservatives have been overlooking Santorum simply because he did not have national name recognition. After his close finish to Mitt Romney in the recent Iowa caucuses, he was able to raise more than a million dollars in fewer than 24 hours.

On Santorum’s website, www.ricksantorum.com, he discusses his 10 points to promote our national interests. I encourage you to go and take a look — I was very pleasantly surprised.

Is Santorum worth it? At first glance, it appears so.

Steve Lunetta is a resident of Santa Clarita and will eventually get the credit card number of a telemarketer. He can be reached at slunetta63@yahoo.com.