Honesty in Politics - 3356 Words

EnglishHonesty in American Politics The legendary tale often told to school children is that of George Washington the young boy, chopping down his fathers cherry tree. When young George was asked, who had chopped the cherry tree down, George impressed his father with his honesty when he replied, â€Å"I cannot tell a lie. I chopped down your cherry tree.† Although the fable is believed to be fiction, it accurately represented the honesty and humility of that great president. Today, few political and public leaders value such ideals as honesty. Due to the prevalent lack of truth in our government or in politicians, few citizens are able to gain much knowledge about their leaders. Holding an office in the United States government is a†¦show more content†¦Shouldn’t this rule apply to America’s leaders as well, if not more so? I believe so, because they are the leaders and voices of our country. The public has a right to know. When it comes to serv ing our nation, â€Å"incumbent leaders and prospective candidates† must come to the realization that the public needs to know anything and everything past and present, about them in order to choose candidates to lead our nation effectively (Berger 707). True ethics and honesty should simply be a matter of good politics. Many people, including the public and the media, have questioned whether there should be such ethics as complete honesty in politics. The ethics we have seen displayed by our nation’s leaders are poor. Ethics that allow for scandals, lies, and cover-ups should not be part of our government. When the time comes to keep citizens informed, the truth should be the most important element. What good is accomplished if the government continually lied to the public supporting it? â€Å"A nation living in and believing a sea of les cannot support its government if they do not know what is going on† (Siris 1278-79). The reality is that the Amer ican people have become accustomed to the fact that dishonesty exists in American politics. Nobody tells the truth, there is no morality, and sadly, no one expects any. The people might as well elect a psychopath into politics, someone without aShow MoreRelatedImmanuel Kant addresses a question often asked in political theory: the relationship between900 Words   |  4 Pagesin politics and how they ought to behave. Observers of political action recognize that political action is often a morally questionable business. Yet many of us, whether involved heavily in political action or not, have a sense that political behavior could and should be better than this. In Appendix 1 of Perpetual Peace, Kant explicates that conflict does not exist between politics and morality, because politics is an application of morality. Objectively, he argues that morality and politics areRead MoreA Rhetorical Analysis of â€Å"The Death of Honesty† by William Damon991 Words   |  4 Pages In â €Å"The Death of Honesty,† William Damon raises the concern that current apathy towards increasing dishonesty threatens democracy. In this essay taken from the online volume â€Å"Endangered Virtues † published by the Hoover Institute in 2012, Damon initially concedes that there are situations where lying could be considered acceptable. However, with that being acknowledged, he transitions to his main premise that honesty is losing its importance in society and will lead to its downfall, and he citesRead MoreThe Is Not Destroying American Culture1219 Words   |  5 PagesAmericans today thrive in a culture obsessed with proving honesty, yet riddled with falsehoods. Through the constant barrage of social media and new technology, opportunities to lie have grown exponentially, and ways to catch someone in the act have only been amplified. However, this is not all new to Americans. Since the birth of this nation, up to the present, and for the foreseeable future, the dance around truth and lie will continue. Everyone is a liar, but nobody wants to be called one. ContraryRead MoreWilliam Damon The Death Of Honesty Summary999 Words   |  4 Pages Reading the essay â€Å"The Death of Honesty† by William Damon leads a person to think about the honesty and lies we express on a regular basis. He provides a well thought out opinion as he explores how honesty is becoming unexpected and infrequently used in society today. Because it is written in a style that is easy to understand, and without many difficult or complicated words, it is obvious the author intends for his point to be easily understood by his readers. Damon uses a convincing argumentRead MoreNiccolo Machiavelli was One of the Leading Writers During the Renaissance Period1235 Words   |  5 Pagesout by the ruling class ‘’princes’’) and how, one should make use of any means including immoral, to retain complete power. The book was criticized substantially since it seemed that the author was encouraging immoral behavior in politics. I disagree with the line â€Å"Politics has no relation to morals† by Niccolo Machiavelli becaus e this statement is a misquotation, it’s considered as satire by Enlightenment thinkers, politicians are expected to be honest by the people, although it is true that politiciansRead MoreHonesty, Integrity And Craving For Justice716 Words   |  3 Pagesâ€Å"No legacy is so rich as honesty† spoke by the greatest leader in the world of literature, William Shakespeare. Honesty, integrity and craving for justice are the imperative aspects of an effective leader. Integrity is all grit. What can a true leader withstand? Being a leader requires daunting tasks, adversary, and faith of a better future. A true leader will adapt and overcome utilizing creativity and problem solving skills. Their grit will be tested and tested again. A leader with integrity demonstratesRead MoreEssay on Campaign Finance Reform1003 Words   |  5 PagesCampaign Finance Reform The politics is a stage for many different characters of whom each is trying to convince their audience to give them the loudest cheer and the grand applause. Politicians who played the acts will do their best and sometimes will do everything to win the hearts of their audience and that means to win at all cost. Politics involves money for it is the way to make campaign possible that is why there are campaign managers and campaign funds to whoever will run for any officeRead MoreExtempore Topics1028 Words   |  5 PagesAll that glitters is not gold India United and india divided Archipalago (was out of the blue, but after this my interview revolved around islands) journey is more important than the destination (nothing related) Govinda aala re (name govinda) Honesty is NOT the best policy (both against and then for the topic) Household male India and China Namesake(Random) Iskon (somewhat related to my name) One In Hand Two In Bush (Cos I got placement offers from 2 companies) bubbles in the air Rouble (wasRead MorePosition Paper1066 Words   |  5 PagesPosition Paper I do think Lucy Donavan violated the UHD Honesty Policy because she obtained and used unauthorized material to prepare for her Intro to Politics midterm exam and was not honest in her glimpse of seeing the major essay topic. Lucy obtained the midterm exam from the photocopying machine. The definition of â€Å"obtain† in the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary means â€Å"to hold on to, or possess.† In the case of Lucy she had possession of the test when she picked it up from the photocopyRead MoreCorrelation Between Openness And The Accuracy Of An Individual s Answers1098 Words   |  5 Pageshypothesis is that there is no significant positive correlation between the two variables. 2) Is honesty/humility related to claiming familiarity with unreal concepts (false alarms)? I hypothesize that, because honesty/humility is related to how willing a person is to be insincere, that we should see a negative correlation between honesty/humility and claiming familiarity with unreal concepts. Honesty humility measures the extent to which a person seeks high apparent status, and therefore they may