by Bozena Hartley

Created on: March 21, 2009   Last Updated: March 31, 2009

Yes, I believe our politicians should be held to a higher moral standard. Politicians are people chosen to represent their community, and their country. They are our leaders. It is an honor to be a Congressman, a Mayor, or a President. Every politician is entrusted by the people who elected him or her, therefore we, the people, should be proud of the ones who represent us.

But how do we view our politicians, how would you describe them in a couple of words? Most people would call them lairs and crooks. So, it would make sense to vote them out of office during next elections, right? Well, it doesn't happen. Why then, do they get elected over and over again? Because people, who vote for them either don't care or (most likely) do not get the right information.

The fact is that many people are more interested in sports than in politics. They can recite all the football players' names by memory, but they don't know who their Congressman is. There was a great line in the movie "The Gladiator" when during the Colliseum games one senator said to the other: 'the games provide a good distraction from what is really going on'. It applies to politics today. Otherwise, how would 'the liars and crooks' get reelected? As a side note, the main stream media isn't the best at informing. They are better at spreading propaganda.

Why do we need moral standards? Because we live in a free country, why can't we just do as we please? Because freedom isn't about doing whatever we want. Freedom, like someone said, "is like a flag, or a kite. It must be anchored to certain values; otherwise, freedom drifts away into moral decay or comes crashing down in the dust of tyranny". The values that we hold dear, the moral standards, allow us to keep our freedom. We established our government to help us uphold our freedom, not to restrict or diminish it. If the politicians do not stand up to that challenge, then we, the people, do not need them. We can do it better ourselves.

What do we mean by moral standards? What should be our politician's moral standard? Values like honesty, humility, reliability, compassion are what we seek in every candidate. Shell I go on? Commitment, self-discipline, courage, initiative, accountability, service, leadership, perseverance, and on and on. Is it at all possible to find a few people who would show at least some of these values? Yes, it is. History books are full of people like that. I believe there are also people with high moral standards today. We just need to get to know them and give them a chance, and vote for them, so that they can replace 'the liars and crooks'.

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