Elliot Golan / Roundup
Dear Looming Leaders,
Politics is a funny thing. Dinner tables around the country are full of comments and conversations criticizing our leaders.
In our time this is personified by the stoic white-haired conservative slamming President Barack Obama, while his thirteen-year-old, black eyeliner wearing, teenage angst driven daughter yells unceremoniously of how the Democratic party understands her plight.
Yet, those who proclaim pompously of how their efforts would be far more effective, rarely rise to make a difference.
Instead, future politicians succumb to the same fate of their predecessors: They allow money and power to rule them.
The main reason is the misunderstanding of what the “bottom line” is. It is not approval ratings or popularity; it is boldly representing those that have bequeathed the gift of office.
Constituencies vote people into office to govern. However, the faith and support of the populace is forgotten shortly thereafter, when the victor gets exposed first-hand to all the delicacies of the game.
And then integrity quickly gives way to ambition.
Lobbyists, campaign contributors, and worst of all, impending reelections dominate the decision making process. The desires of these outside, influential aggressors replace the needs of the average citizen.
Potential book deals, speech tours and a permanent elongating of their fifteen minutes of fame control them.
All of this is unfortunate. Yet, generation after generation, nothing changes. And it is really obvious why.
Politics are hard. A million voices come from a million different directions screaming of how poor a job the person is doing and how they never should have been elected. And an entirely new, highly motivated, soon to fail, group of pending politicians begins their climb.
From Jackson to Buchanan, Harding to Nixon and beyond, The United States presidency has had a colored history of corruption. Other political offices have been no different, from former Sen. Strom Thurmond to Gov. Mark Sanford; politics has had constant issues throughout history.
As the next generations of leaders begin their ascent through college, confident in their ability to change the world, the cycle will likely perpetuate.
Remember the real bottom line and there may be hope.
Respectfully,
Concerned Citizen of the World
