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 besmirching of so many politicians. Society in general has allowed itself to become far too commonplace, accepting of far too much. Our moral compass no longer points in the same direction, and the proliferation of evil deeds overshadows the seemingly minor indiscretions of politicians. Hiding behind a veil of Christianity or duress of some sort, politicians tend to be granted leniency in many situations.
Inevitably, some politicians are raked through the proverbial coals, but often at a great cost to taxpayers. We are never satisfied with justice, as it always seems that somehow they leaked through the cracks. Democracy is a fancy notion, but so many elected politicians are above the law, which infuriates us to no end.
We need to readjust society into a higher moral standard, and we need to do this post-haste. Our social mores are crumbling right in front of our eyes, but we do not see the forest for the trees. The economy is in the toilet, the war is claiming far too many lives of innocent people, most notably the human bomb detectors that so many Canadian soldiers have become, and our favourite athletes are draped across the headlines nightly.
Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? We need a hero to emerge, a person of high principle, unwavering conviction, unmitigated temerity, and who upholds the highest moral standards. Here's hoping that President Obama can be the voice of a new generation, and can lead with a tacit calm, yet also with bravado.
Until our own personal moral standards are raised above knee-level, we cannot reasonably expect our politicians to be held to a higher moral standard. Once you acknowledge that you need to be governed, you basically get what you deserve. It is high time for all of us to rise up from the rubble of mediocrity, and hold our heads high while we walk. We all need to set the example for our politicians to follow,since the reverse seems implausible.
Society as a whole needs to raise its own level of humanity, and the moral standards with which we conduct ourselves should be of the highest nature. Our children learn through our examples, and if we, or certainly if a high profile politician is not living up to this code, we will be leading them astray.