Too many politicians turn public matters into private gains.

Too many politicians turn public matters into private gains.

10:40-11:10

Over the course of human civilization, there have been many forms of governance. The most popular form of governance is democracy because it allows the common citizen to have their say in issues that matter to society. Since the times of Ancient Greece and Rome, people have voted in Senators and other representatives on their behalf to bring attention off issues concerning the people to the government. However, there are certain circumstances where the government is supporting the people and other situations where they are not.

In many democratic nations, such as the United States there are many freedoms granted to the people and are readily accepted by everyone. However, despite this “equality” there is an abundance of inequality as well. In many cases the concept of competition over resources, education and jobs are a common place in society where conflicts occur. The Malthusian ethic, is a very old principle dating back several centuries and states that the wealthier and well to do in society tend to control society rather than the majority of other citizens. This has resulted in the mainstream form of US culture where the top 1% of the population known as the “wealthy elite” control the rest of the population’s resources, money and even personal preferences like puppets. The major problem with the Malthusian ethic is it is abundant in US politics and is very harmful to society. For instance, in the 2008 presidential race, Republican candidates Sarah Palin and John McCain both were under scrutiny for turning public matters into private gains. Sarah Palin was using campaign money to fund luxurious vacations in the Carribean with her family and took road trips on tax payer money. Likewise, John McCain was accused under similar grounds for endorsing oil company executives and other business titans to fund his political campaign against Obama. With the country suffering from a severe recession it is irresponsible and unethical for McCain to accept funding from oil companies when gas prices are skyrocketing as well as Palin to go on vacations. As a result, this illustrates that some politicians can turn public issues such as a bad economy for personal gain.

On the other hand, there are situations where politicians do not turn public matters into private gains. For example, recently President Obama rejected the proposal for the Keystone XL gas pipeline from Canada to Texas. Obama used common sense and ethics to reject this proposal because he is aware of the potential environmental impact it will have. Likewise many environmental groups are supporting Obama’s stance on the issue to prevent the oil pipeline from being installed. Another example, is Obama’s support of the people during the recession of 2008. Despite severe opposition by wealthy individuals and Republicans, President Obama tried to reinforce consumer confidence by bailing out banks and other financial lending institutions to revamp consumer spending and confidence. This example shows that not all politicians take public matters and turn them into private gains, rather shows that some politicians such as Obama will try to resolve the public matter in support of the people’s interests. As a result, he increases his approval ratings and potential chances for re-election.

All in all it is circumstantial for politicians to turn public matters into private gains. If a politican is not responsible and has no concept of ethics then it is more likely that they will take a public matter and make it a personal gain, like Palin and McCain. In contrast, if a politician like President Obama who is aware of ethics and responsible to support the interests of the people, would not take public issues and turn them to private gains.