Responsive Public Officials | Have you ever wondered why so many eligible voters either don't care, believe it doesn't make any difference, or feel they are too busy to get more involved with the voting process, etc.?
Why do we continue witnessing so many elected officials getting reelected, seemingly, despite their actual record, in terms of the quality of their service and representation?
What can we do to ensure a more responsive, responsible, relevant, and sustainable representation, which aims to address the nation's needs, priorities, goals, and perceptions to attempt to better – align it with the so-called, Constitutional guarantees, as well as the environmental, climate, and judicial actions, needed, to make this nation, as good, as it might be (and should be).
With that in mind, this article will attempt to briefly consider, examine, review, and discuss five necessary changes which need to be implemented consistently, etc.
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5 Changes Needed To Ensure More Responsive Public Officials
1. Create higher standards of behavior: Doesn't it make sense that elected and public officials should be held to the standards the rest of us are but too much higher?
Don't we need more and better rules, etc., and far – better enforcement? Isn't there a reason so many people hold politicians in so little esteem, believing most of these individuals are, at – best, liars? Now, more than ever, we need meaningful standards and consistent enforcement!
2. Clear ethical responsibilities: The necessary ethical responsibilities, and acceptable behavior, must be clearly stated, for all, to understand!
When it comes to ethics, there must be no gray – areas! Unfortunately, we witness far – too many conflicts of interest, etc., and, too – often, it seems, these people put their own personal/ political plan and self-interest ahead of the needs, etc., of the public!
3. Change campaign financing: Have you ever thought that many politicians are over-influenced by corporate donations and influences?
When the so-called Citizens United rules were created, the concept of corporations as people, the amount of campaign spending, misleading advertisements, etc., became accelerated!
We must address this sooner rather than later to ensure the possibility of better – quality, service, and representation!
4. Reduce the lengths of campaigns: Why do American election campaigns go on for so much more time than in other nations? These prolonged campaigns create the perceived need for more campaign spending, which rarely serves the public's best interests!
5. Strict rules/ reviews/ regulations of campaign advertising: We need to create and implement far – stricter rules and regulations and meaningful enforcement of what those running for office promise, claim, and state in these campaigns, to inform better and circulate real information, instead of so-called, Fake Facts!
Unless/ until we ensure public officials behave more appropriately, we will continue to see the same-old, same-old, questionable behaviors, etc.!
Will you become a more responsible voter and citizen, become better informed, and demand a higher level/ standard from those we elect?