Honesty in governement, does it exist?
Honesty in government these days is highly questionable to say the least. The current perception and perhaps the perception for years has been that politicians will say anything to get elected or get noticed by the media. It is sad to say that in many cases this is the reality of the political world as we know it.
The concept of having honesty exist in any government entity seems a remote possibility given much of the information now surfacing in the media. It is important to state that not all politicians fall in the practice of saying anything to get elected. In all organizations or entities such as the government there are going to be honest individuals who are there to represent those who elected them. The portrayal of these individuals by the media who support the opposite party will always try to discredit statements being made.
A statement made by any politician which turns out to be a lie generates a loss of confidence in the actions and statements of all politicians. In making our voting decisions this election year determining the honesty of those who are asking us for their vote must be part of the evaluation process. Determining the honesty of any politician is a difficult situation to say the least but sometimes statements made are proven to be true as statistics or information is reported by the media.
The current political culture in Congress has one party against another and sometimes individuals against each other. In this atmosphere there are statements made which are questionable as to whether they are honest and sometimes they are so outrageous that they are recognized as a lie. All of us hear statements in the news by our elected officials and we should question the content as to whether they are honest. In the heat of an election campaign we hear many statements made about opponents and each candidate tries to refute the statements of the other. One of the keys in deciding who to vote for is determining the honesty of the candidate and sometimes the type of campaign being levied.
This election year has seen so many outrageous statements being made as to try to affect the decisions of voters against one party or another. This involves the actions or inactions of political parties. The facts usually can be clearly substantiated in some cases when legislation is passed by one legislative house and no action is taken by the other. In some cases this is warranted while in others it is not. Some legislative proposals are so outrageous they are out of touch with the citizens and voters who elected them.
Our current economic situation needs to be resolved and it does not matter which party provides the solution. Statements made in some instances are an insult to the intelligence of the citizens of this country. In this respect they are obviously a lie. Labeling political organizations who disagree with the philosophy of one party as un-American in some cases is an insult to the freedoms we have under the Constitution.
With regards to the scandals which have been reported in the news clear answers to questions need to be provided with respect who knew what when and why actions were not taken to resolve issues which may have been known for years. The American public deserves answers and information requested or asked by elected officials deserves honest answers. The appearance to date does not suggest honest answers are being given. Ignoring the content of questions which deserve answers and saying we are looking into the situation and will take appropriate action. What is appropriate action? Appropriate action is making decisions to resolve issues which surface at the time they become known not years after officials are informed. Taking immediate action to resolve critical issues such as the veteran’s healthcare issues appears to one such example.
Elected officials need to be honest with the American public and if mistakes are made admit it and take action to correct them. Mistakes are sometimes made through legislation and instead of ignoring reality they need to be corrected. Granted it is not always known what the impact may be of some legislation but if the impact is a negative one all political officials both elected and appointed immediate actions need to be taken.
