Past Political Controversies

Leaders are constantly making decisions that are based on their values and directly affect their constituents. Some of those decisions are insignificant, and only affect people in the short term. Some are bigger and determine the long-term fate of society; and others go even further as to determine who those leaders are as people and how they will leave society for future generations (Joseph, 2001). Socrates raised the question, “What is a virtuous man, and what is a virtuous society?” In observing the leadership that will ultimately decide the future for our society, I believe we must ponder the same question. If ethics is the basis of politics, as many people believe to be true, the two should be tied more closely together. Ethical concepts should have specific implications in politics. There are numerous political scandals seen in American history that exemplify the corruption of the government and emphasize the dire need for ethics in such leadership. Political leaders need to be an example for the rest of the country; therefore they should be held to a higher ethical standard than a regular citizen. Not only should they be held to a higher standard in the eyes of the common people, but the government should legally hold them to a higher standard as well. Punishment should be more severe for political leaders if they do anything unethical that directly affects the wellbeing of the people they rule over.

Politics, although a very abhorred profession, is a necessity for society, and requires good leaders who make good political decisions for their constituents. Unfortunately, there is always a negative connotation associated with politicians, as they are usually seen as corrupt, lying, and scheming people. There are many dif...

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... "The Historical and Political Context Of Watergate." Watergate.info - The Scandal That Destroyed President Richard Nixon. 1995. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. .

Joseph, James A. "Leadership And The Changing Role Of Ethics In Public Life." Lecture. Models of Ethical Leadership for a Changing World. University of Texas. Jan. 2001. Web.

Jourdan, C. "The Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky Scandal | PoliticianScandal.com." PoliticianScandal.com - Political News & Articles. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. .

Williamson, Thad. "Monica, Bill, and Ethics, by Thad Williamson." CrossCurrents Magazine: the Best Thought and Writing on Religion and the World. Association for Religion & Intellectual Life. Web. 14 Dec. 2011. .