An epidemic of poor decisions? That's putting it mildly!

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We need more accountability in political office
By Richard Vieira, November 8, 2013

There seems to be an epidemic of poor decisions plaguing mayoral offices everywhere.

Consider Anthony Weiner, a former U.S. representative whose chance of occupying the mayoral office was diminished after a sexting scandal.  The mayor of San Diego, Bob Filner, also resigned after a number of sexual harassment allegations were hurled at him last August.  Even here in Gainesville, former Mayor Craig Lowe was arrested for driving under the influence earlier this year.

However, the epidemic has now spilled over to Canada.

It serves as no surprise, then, that on Oct. 29 Toronto mayor Rob Ford confessed to smoking crack.  Because of his intimacy with the crack pipe — to which he was allured by a self-confessed “drunken stupor” — the Canadian official has been asked to refrain from running for re-election next year.  His response consisted of an apology to the people of the city — followed by a refusal to withdraw from the race next year.

Such a refusal discredits any attempt at an apology made by Ford.  It shows the mayor doesn’t take his responsibilities seriously.  He essentially faces no consequences for his actions.

The dubious practice has become a routine for politicians as of late.  For instance, many of us thought Weiner’s career came to an end with his first scandal.  Even though he had a second chance, Weiner chose to continue with his antics.  Just like Ford, Weiner apologized and refused to resign from politics.  It’s no wonder that Bill De Blasio is now the mayor of New York City.

So why do we hold our politicians to such a minimal moral standard?

Why is it acceptable for a Canadian official to refuse to step down after admitting he has used crack in office?  Why does the governor of South Carolina get elected to office after an episode of infidelity?

There is no clear answer.  The issue is not the drug use itself.  After all, human beings will make mistakes, and many U.S. presidents have used drugs in the past, including President Barack Obama.

Rafael Behr, writing for the Guardian, argues admitting to drug abuse doesn’t significantly damage a politician’s career.  Instead, what separates Ford from these politicians is that he was in office when he abused drugs.  He then made the greatest mistake he could by lying about his drug use — a lie that eventually led to a scandal.

There is a lesson that can be learned from Ford’s behavior.  Those of us living in a democracy should hold our elected officials to a higher standard.

Otherwise, it’s pointless voting for people who aren’t taking their constituents seriously and prove incompetent in office.  This means no more infidelity, drug use or sexting.

And if we don’t?

We will send a message to those officials that they are free to do as they wish, and there are no consequences for their actions.
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