Excerpted from a post by Tina….
“What I believe is that we can’t expect them (politicians) to rise above it all as long as the public generally is tolerant and accepting of bad behavior. People who are asking that we raise standards of behavior in our society are mistakenly accused of being purely moralistic. On a personal level this is probably true but on a societal level the demands have more to do with creating a structure that supports people in making positive decisions for their lives. It has to do with creating a support structure that makes it possible for even the most humble citizen to reach a level of success that is higher than he ever dreamed. It’s about creating a support structure that makes it possible for the very gifted among us to make major contributions in science and art and yes, even in public service. It’s about creating an environment that rewards good behavior and achievment and punishes bad such that the choice to do bad is repugnant to the individual.
We the people have failed to uphold high standards. We the people have given in to prurient interests and excused or even celebrated decadence. We have “played” selfishly while our children were left to raise themselves. We have failed to take an interest in their formal education and tolerated the decline in basic education in favor of feel
good education. We have abandoned almost completely the notion of respecting elders and persons of authority. Manners have gone out the window.
If we can’t find good people to represent us then we need look no further than our own mirrors for the reason. Some have contributed in big ways others in only small ways and…we are all responsible.
Which is why I keep saying it isn’t the people in politics I support. I support the principles and goals of my party. When our representatives let us down we should deal with them swiftly and move on. Principles and goals require a long term commitment…some would say never ending!
The elections coming up are very important. The “art” of politics will get dirtier as we get closer to voting day. We must train ourselves to focus on issues and support those people who best represent us with regard to those issues. Terrorism/borders, taxes/economy, and Supreme Court appointments are three huge issues, The two parties have very different ideas about all three and the direction they promise to take us will affect our lives more than ever before. We must choose wisely now, it will matter for decades to come.
We will always have an opportunity to expose and remove those who break the law or comport themselves badly. We will not easily change the direction of the court as three more judges need replacing in the next few years. Raised taxes will kill the economy within six to ten years…yes it takes time to turn an economy in either direction. The war effort, which could take decades, requires a commited approach. ”