by Bobby Coles

Created on: March 16, 2009   Last Updated: January 07, 2012

Our politicians should be held to a higher moral standard, and they should be held personally accountable for any improprieties and indiscretions that involve them, on any level. We, the citizens, are supposed to live up to a certain moral and legal conduct, and therefore our elected leaders should be setting the examples. Politicians need to be governed in the exact same manner that the average taxpayer is, and they should never be allowed leniency for acts that would land the public in hot water.

Ever since we first gave in to the notion that we needed to be governed, the prevailing thought was that any elected official should be held to the highest moral standards. This has eluded us, lo these many years. The moral standard has dropped significantly, due to the precedence set by so many of our forefathers. Justice is blind, and the scales of justice are lopsided for a reason. When we see, or perceive, that politicians, such as mayoral candidates or governors are excused for violating the basic laws of the land, then there will be anarchy. Eventually, people will stand up and revolt against biased behaviours.

The moral standard needs to be raised, and revered. Politicians need to be the first on board with this notion. A code of conduct should apply to all people, and especially those in the limelight. Fame comes at a terrible cost, but people that seek out the attention should be perfect role models.

Politicians tend to act with relative impunity, never being held accountable for any of their actions. Much similar to our overpaid athletes and celebrities, any indiscretion is smoothed over by a high-priced public relations official, and any blame is sent sprawling over somebody else. This is the paradox of our times. We place these people on the highest of pedestals, and then we act surprised when they falter.

It is human nature to fail in some capacity, at one time or another, but with our elected politicians, we feel as though they should be better than we ourselves are. This thought pattern is asinine. Politicians, for the most part, are not even the people the majority of voters wanted in charge in the first place. Due to the backwards logic of first past the post voting, an elected official is usually not voted for by nearly 70% of the voting population. No wonder the general populace doesn't extol accolades upon these fraudulent leaders.

The higher moral standard is never upheld, because of the constant shifting of blame, and the constant sullying and

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