Good Morning Neighbors! In this edition of Down the Middle I have a question for you. What do you expect of your public representatives? I ask this for numerous reasons but with election season in full swing isn’t this the question we should ask ourselves each time we cast a vote? Apparently, in today’s political arena all it takes to be elected is being the most radical conservative or liberal possible. How about if instead the individuals we vote for are committed to the values we most cherish.
In my state thus far this primary season the political ads have been a boat race to the bottom. In a solid red state between the candidates for governor, lt governor, and attorney general we’ve had commercials with candidates shooting assault rifles and grenade launchers. Weve had a candidate use a flamethrower and one use all of the above plus a machine gun in their commercial and decry the others use of “props”. I’m going to give you the requirements to earn my vote and I hope you will agree.
First I expect my representatives to have integrity. Integrity in and of itself can seem difficult to define in politics, but I’m starting and ending right here with this definition from Websters, “Integrity implies trustworthiness and incorruptibility to a degree that one is INCAPABLE of being false to a trust, a responsibility, or a pledge”. So firstly, I expect my representative to be incapable of being false to the pledge they take when they enter office, which is to support and defend the constitution and have no mental reservations or intent to evade this standard. “Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.” Albert Einstein
Second my representatives must be accountable. They must look to their constituents, ALL of their constituents, and vote their conscience given what they see. They can’t be swayed by the winds of change that blow, or the fountain of money that regularly flows, if those are against the will of those they represent. They must be open and accountable to their constituents, their colleagues and the country. When a decision in California affects an individual in Minnesota, that individual needs assurance that representative is open to accountability in their district.
My leaders should have empathy for others. Empathy is the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another. In a government where virtually every decision has a winner and a loser, its hoped that an individual in those positions would be empathetic to those that might be the losers in that policy while holding firm to the values of their constituents. In addition, by empathizing with their colleagues whose backgrounds and values are different they open opportunities for mutual understanding and compromise.
They must be transparent. One of the biggest issues in politics today is a lack of transparency in the actions of its officials. Just recently the American public was gaslit for months about the ability of our current President to run for reelection. Those closest to this man assured the American people, you, me and 330 million others of us that there was simply nothing to see here. When the lie could no longer be upheld, they had to come clean. Now while this is as serious of a violation of transparency as has happened in recent memory, every small lack of transparency is equally disturbing. How many of our elected officials have been caught being untransparent or disingenuous in recent times? Maybe we should just call it lying. We must have openness in all of our government activities and decision making processes.
I believe that every representative should make a public commitment to public service. These individuals must have a desire to serve us and dedicate themselves to improving the community. Not one single member of our government should be pursuing elected office to enrich themselves. They should pride themselves on their ability to serve those that entrusted them with the honor. This commitment to public service should also contain a commitment to fiscal responsibility. Our elected officials should practice prudent management of public funds while avoiding unnecessary debt. By doing so they can assure economic stability for all of us.
Along with a commitment to public service they should have an unassailable respect for the rule of law. Respect for the rule of law means they should uphold and respect our laws and legal processes, even the ones they disagree with. Only by having this respect can justice and fairness be assured. Our elected officials should also be communicating and supporting the rule of law in their communities and not encouraging lawlessness. In recent times lawmakers in our congress have openly despised the rule of law that protected members of their constituency. That might look great to national donors, but is failing those that elected them.
My elected officials should also be unapologetically bipartisan. Why this one is important should be obvious. Every city, county, and state in this republic has liberals, conservatives and everyone in between. When my representatives refuse to accept the need for bipartisanship they thumb their nose at the members of their district and their colleagues that believe differently. They must be willing to work across party lines to achieve common goals and collaboratively address the important issues of today.
Lastly my elected officials must be patriots. Websters defines a patriot as, “one who loves and supports his or her country”. It seems that in recent times many members of our congress have been elected who weren’t very patriotic. They viewed it as their responsibility to remake America in the image they desired not to support the members of their constituency. I want my representative to be proud of the flag and the traditions that represent my country while admitting we have a long way to go.
So my elected officials should be accountable, fiscally responsible, transparent, and bipartisan. They should exhibit patriotism, empathy, a commitment to public service, and a respect for the rule of law. But mostly my representatives should have integrity. If integrity is a driving value and moral then most of these other requirements are naturally
present alongside that integrity. Remember that a person of integrity is INCAPABLE of being false to a trust, a responsibility, or a pledge. Ray Kroc said that “the quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves” Lets begin voting in individuals that believe every government official should be above reproach. Vote in the man or woman that best represents these values to you, and remember you are not alone.