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Character Matters
Ó 2000By George William Sweeney
Each election each of us that vote must ask ourselves how we are going to choose whom to vote for. Allow me to suggest one certain criterion for making the decision, character.
Now who would buy a car from a dishonest car dealer? Would you want someone dishonest to manage your money? Would you want to depend on a police officer that is on the payroll of the mob?
Elected office is a position of trust. If the person in office is not to be trusted on personal matters how can they reasonably be trusted in making decisions that affect our lives. Would we trust a known mobster as an elected official such as judge?
I recall the story of a thief that walked up to a security guard at a warehouse.
"Would you help me rob the warehouse for a million dollars? The thief said.
The guard said he certainly would.
"Then come along and we will split the profits."
"What, the contents of this place is not worth a million. Besides, I am not a thief."
"That is where you are wrong my friend. You have already told me that you would help me for a million dollars, that makes you a thief already."
We can also look at it another way. If someone is a thief on small matters, or cannot be trusted on small matters, how can they be entrusted to office where they can control the lives of others?
Those in office should have a higher standard of ethic than the populous at large, not a lower one. Never should the defense for a crime committed by a government official, elected or otherwise, be that the law should not apply to them. If a regular citizen would be convicted and go to jail for a certain act, so should those that govern.
As I keep stressing, "power corrupts." If someone would rob another, lie, cheat, break the law, or obstruct justice what would they reasonably be expected to do when in office?
Will a criminal be reformed by simply giving him more power to commit crime? Would you trust a fox to guard the hen house?
Now think. Can you trust someone that would accept bribes to sway his or her decisions? Can you trust a person that would brake the law to gain power, hide their actions or because they can? Can you trust anyone that would lie on small matters not to lie on important issues? Can anyone that is casually unfaithful to their spouse ever be trusted to be faithful to those that they represent?
A person may have the greatest of skills, but if they lack integrity they are a danger.
Character does matter. Would you hire someone to work in your house if they were a thief? No matter how skilled the person is you run the risk of them robbing you.