by Christina Hope

Created on: February 14, 2009

Do we expect too much from our elected officials?

In a word, yes.

Ben Franklin said "God helps those who first help themselves". I believe Mr. Franklin, being one of the Founding Fathers of our Great Nation, would absolutely shudder the way "We the People" have misconstrued the intended capabilities of elected office.

We often give as much or more power to our elected officials as was given the King of England before the Mayflower set sail for America. Since then, we have fought wars for the right to vote. We are proud of our democracy. However, exactly how much should we expect from these elected officials? They are people prone to the same human conditions as the rest of us. They have bad days and errors in judgement, too. What is reasonable and fair to hope for when a citizen casts his or her vote in the ballot booth?

Back in Ben Franklin's day, we toiled over fields, made our own bread and hand washed our clothes. When a man gave you his word, he was bound by honor. We were a great deal more self sufficient than we are today. Ben Franklin also said, "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." I doubt seriously Mr. Franklin lost much sleep contemplating how George Washington was going to provide relief for anything more than keeping the Redcoats at bay. I imagine their political issues were much more immediate than bailing out criminals or floating yet another big corporation run ashore by greed.

Moreover, we have come to expect so much when we offer so little. We expect our elected officials to move mountains, and yet, we barely move off our sofas. Exactly whose job is it to "fix" our lives in the first place? Isn't everyone managing their own lives? Personal responsibility is lost on our society today and therefore, it is not surprising to find so many unhappy folks looking to the government to save the day.

Electing our officials is one of the key strengths of our nation. We must rely on our individual strengths and muster the courage to separate the wheat from the chaff. Before looking to our elected officials to extricate us from our responsibilities, we must first ask what is appropriate for an elected official to accomplish.

President John F. Kennedy said "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." He empowered people with that statement. President Kennedy knew he could not do his job without the support of the people because he also knew one man alone could not resolve the entire country's woes.

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