An Honest Politician.

At our last Honors Forum, Tammy Irons, Alabama State Senator and attorney, spoke to my class. Rather than spending her time giving us her platform and trying to win over our votes, she talked to us about ethics. To some people, this was an interesting topic to choose to speak about. A common idea in America is that that politicians and lawyers are the least ethical of any job.

"I hate politicians. They're a bunch of liars." Ever heard that before? I know I have. In fact, a recent poll states that 78% of United States citizens agree that politicians are dishonest. Why do so many people believe this?

Well, the common idea is that politicians lie about their platform to gain approval so that they can win approval of voters and in turn, win a vote. Here's a flaw in this theory. Politicians run for office to encourage their beliefs. What's the point of running for office when you have to lie or change your beliefs? Maybe for power, but is it really worth it if you're hated by half the country? Not to mention the time and money politicians must spend on campaigning.

Politicians exist to have opinions and convince everyone else that their opinion is the right one to have. Their opinions are on "touchy subjects" like the economy, death penalty, abortion, gay rights, school curriculum, and the list goes on and on. No one likes being told to follow this opinion or that opinion because no one likes to be told that they're wrong. Because of this, we get defensive and begin to dissect everything politicians do.

Politicians are in the public eye. When a politician is in the public eye, it is easy to dissect every little thing that person does, whether it be pertinent to their campaign or not. Not only do we pick at everything politicians do with their campaign, but we also scrutinize their personal lives and judge them on their bad habits.

Don't all of us have bad habits? Aren't we all dishonest at one point or another in our lives? The only difference is that our actions aren't being looked at under a microscope. Maybe there are some dishonest politicians out there, but there are also dishonest bankers, store managers, police, journalists, and even teachers. Politicians are not anymore dishonest than the general public.

The Honorable Tammy Irons spoke about the code of ethics given to her as an attorney and public official. These codes of ethics are in place so that over time, people don't lose sight of their values from the pressures to receive public approval. Maybe we can all learn from this. The public will look at us and judge us. But as long as each of us stays strong in our values, they can't bring us down. Just live by this one rule, and your ethics will be golden:

"If it would embarrass your momma, don't do it."