Moral values in American leaders

Most of our American leaders are at the local and state levels. Add in the federal politicians, and we have over one-half million elected leaders alone. Multiply this group by their hired minions, and add in our religious leaders and union leaders and teachers, and we have a lot of fellow Americans in leadership positions. One would hope they share the same moral values as the citizens they represent and live among, but this does not seem to be case all too often. This also applies to common sense values based on moral values similar to their represented citizens, or the citizens they live among.

Here’s one reason to think so. The old expression that one “aw-crap” overcomes thirty “atta-boys” still applies. Said another way, most will tell thirty others about their bad treatment or disappointment while they will tell eight people about their good treatment. A second reason to think so is to tolerate the abysmal personal behavior and standards of a leader because they also do many good things. Recently this appeared above the American political horizon in the form of Rev. Wright in Chicago, where similar citizens of the USA could promote all the good things he has done in his service to his church and community and the USA, compared to his vile, hateful, racial , and anti-American rhetoric. Decades ago, Rev. Wright would be dead in the water by those Americans judging him using their moral standards, and their willingness to do so. Now so many use today’s moral standards to give him a pass. Some, of course, are naïve enough to be subject to the basic propaganda techniques, like he really did not say it, or words were taken out of context, or one had to hear the entire speech to really understand, or we just heard wrong. And most seem to be liberal democratic party types in the case of Rev. Wright, but one can use their suspicions and judgments across the American political spectrum.

It is probably a fair report to suggest that many Americans have different moral values, and even some are always subject to propaganda techniques even if they don’t know it. It is also probably fair to say that no amount of rational and reasonable discourse will change what other people presently believe, especially in regards their moral values. And it is also probably reasonable and fair to believe that many politicians and leaders running for office also try take advantage of those same people. We all preach to our own crowd.

The other story is so many Americans these days don’t want to let their fellow citizens with different moral values drag them down, as if, if some of these different values may cause great harm financially and perhaps even in foreign policy. Tolerance of letting them have their way and chance has been going on for decades, with poor results to too many Americans. Part of this other story is the need to vote just to maintain things like dictating school curriculums, government budgeting and avoidance of borrowing, the accountability of the judiciary at the local levels when it dictates unaffordable spending that can only be honored with borrowing. The other story said another way is that change is coming. Whether one group with their recent morals will be in charge, or more older moral values will be in charge, is a matter of the vote, pure and simple. Either way it will take decades; and 2008 is a good year to start.