Fidelity, ethics, integrity

If the electorate, regardless of political affiliation, learns from the recently concluded election cycle, it should be to demand fidelity, ethics, and integrity from those running for public office, their surrogates and campaigns, the media, plus from itself.

First, some definitions:

•  Fidelity:  Faithfulness to obligations, duties, or observances.

•  Ethics:  The moral fitness of a decision, course of action, etc.

•  Integrity:  Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code. 

There is no doubt that these principals were inadequately applied by campaigns, individuals, surrogates, the media, unions, candidates, and countless others involved in the election process.  As is said, it was obvious to the most casual of observers.  Moreover, it's offered that this deficiency is not limited to the election cycles, which appear to be blurred into a never-ending process.

This deficiency permeates all too insidiously throughout the broader society.  Examples abound: general officers in the military being tried for sexual assault and misuse of public funds; a member of the U.S. House of Representatives forced to resign (rather than being "fired") for sending sexually provocative electronic pictures of himself to women, then lying about it; the U. S. Secretary of State, while campaigning for her political party's nomination for President, falsely claiming she'd landed "under fire" in Bosnia in 1996; the Senate Majority Leader failing to bring a budget to a vote in the Senate, for multiple years; a decorated military veteran, elected to Congress, then sent to prison for corruption while in office; school teachers convicted of sexual relationships with their students, some of who were underage; the Penn State scandal; unions spending their members' dues on political causes, without the approval of the membership; deliberate and selective editing of a 9-1-1 call in the Trayvon Martin case by the media; the Enron scandal; falsifying one's resume, such as a Radio Shack CEO and a case at MIT; a minister close to POTUS spewing racist and inflammatory invective from the pulpit; elected representatives missing countless votes, while campaigning; etc.  In none of the examples can it be argued that the individuals involved acted with faithfulness to duty, moral fitness, or ethics.

If elected leaders are to be exemplary icons in our community, role models for our youth, and stewards of the crucial management of government at all levels, then they must embody unimpeachable fidelity, ethics, and integrity.  In selecting such individuals, the electorate as a whole must act based upon these standards.  Else-wise, the process fails and individuals falling short of "those best qualified" will be empowered by our ballots to make monumental decisions impacting us all.