Ten Commandments For Politicians
We ran across this list in an article from the Daily Beast website in a story questioning the lack of moral outrage surrounding the extramarital affair of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford. Sanford disappeared for six days back in June and it was subsequently revealed that he had been spending time with his mistress in South America.
A reporter for the Beast put together this list of “Ten Commandments for Politicians.” While some of them are specific to the Sanford situation, we think that others are very applicable to some of the issues we are struggling with in the Virgin Islands.
We’ve reprinted the entire list below and have marked with an asterisk those we think apply to us. We’re asking you for other suggestions for our own “Ten Commandments for Politicians in the Virgin Islands.” We’ll print our list, including some of your suggestions, next Monday on CIF.
Ten Commandments for Politicians:
1. Don’t lie*
2. Don’t cheat*
3. Don’t have affairs with aides
4. Don’t hire relatives of aides’ with whom you are having an affair
5. Don’t claim immunity because your activity is not technically prosecutable*
6. Don’t use government aircraft for dangerous liaisons
7. Don’t hike the Appalachian Trail
8. Don’t go looking for that “sparking thing”
9. Don’t make foreign bed chambers a rationale for chamber of commerce trips
10. Do resign when found guilty of any of the above*
I wonder how many of our politicians have violated all of the commandments.
I would definitely keep #3. “Don’t have affairs with aides”
Very clever, but that deals with handling the problem AFTER the electorate has voted them in. Too late now.
Better make sure you’ve done your homework BEFORE you vote ‘em in.
Follow these guidelines:
CANDIDATE SELECTION CHECKLIST
THINGS TO LOOK FOR:
Does the candidate appear intelligent or is he just filling out the suit?
Is the candidate qualified for the job?
Does she have the education and experience to handle the job?
Do you agree with the programs and ideas the candidate has proposed?
Are you comfortable with the groups and individuals who support the candidate?
Can you trust the candidate?
Is the candidate a leader?
Does she have ideas of her own?
THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR:
Candidates that make appeals to your emotions – and NOT to your intelligence.
Candidates who identify problems – but don’t propose realistic solutions.
Candidates who offer simple, no-sacrifice solutions to complex problems.
Candidates who talk exclusively about hot-button issues, such as race, immigration, class warfare – and not about such issues as taxes, health care, the homeless, the budget.
Candidates who have shady dealings in their backgrounds.
Candidates who tell you what they think you want to hear.
Candidates who use negative campaign tactics to give you a false impression of the competition.
Reprinted from IDG Books Worldwide (Politics for Dummies) 1995
Maybe we should have asked those questions three years ago. We probably would have been better off. Where can we get a copy of that book?
I got mine at Amazon.
Mr. Soup, didn’t you say recently that you voted for Governor deJongh? What you just printed seems to have disqualified John P. deJongh as a suitable Governor. Can you read your list again please?
Everyone will benefit by printing out this list and posting it somewhere where they will see it and read every day. Like on their ‘fridge.
Here is another commandment you can add: Do not forsake your family.
Good one, T.
How about don’t forget to file and pay your taxes. If we can’t even figure that one out before the election god help us all.
Sad Sad……………………..!
Unfortunately, our problems with leadership seem to emerge after the persons are in office. Looking at Soup’s checklist of things to look for, a candidate such as de Jongh could appear to fit all the requirements. Especially considering the million-dollar campaign that he launched. Where did all that money come from?
A very fancy facade can fool a lot of people.
I wish we had a viable way to show displeasure with our leaders. One that would be an immediate threat to their office. Recall has not worked well so far.
look at next week’s sen
(sorry for the slip-up)
If you look at next week’s senate calendar, the governor is proposing a lot of shifting of funds. It will be hard to keep track of what it all means. We are really helpless between elections.
I agree with Persona. I have to admit, John deJongh has pulled off one of the most elaborate gubernatorial campaigns in the history of the Virgin Islands. He was so good, he even rope the Church Community into sponsoring him. The problem is that he couldn’t even keep the act up for a whole year before his true colors come out.
What legal recourse is there regarding our Senator regarding the tax issue? Is it legal for him to hold office with this outstanding issue? I’d like to research this. I know if I didn’t file and pay my taxes that the IRB would be hounding me down. Am I the only one that finds this outrageous? Why is the rest of the public not aware of this? Why is this not front page news in the Avis or Daily News?
Why, T&U ? Because we have so many similar and even more critical issues to try to focus on that we aren’t able to fully understand one trauma before we’re hit with another. Some people like it so because it creates a climate in which they can get away with sooooo many things.
Ten Commandments for Politicians
1. Don’t Lie
2. Don’t Cheat
3. Don’t make deals with public money that benefit you and your
cronies. (Conflict of Interest)
4. Don’t work behind the scenes to get yourself a hefty raise.
5. Don’t put your personal safety before that of the people
(children, elderly, workers IRB, et.al.)
6. DON’T SPEND PUBLIC MONEY TO ENHANCE YOUR OWN PRIVATE PROPERTY!
7. Don’t put the VI in debt way beyond your own term.
8. Don’t intimidate those who question or speak out against you.
9. Communicate with the people concerning crime, health,
homelessness, cost of food, and other issues that affect us.
10. Don’t fund your campaign with kickbacks, illegal
contributions, using government equipment and facilities, and
other unethical means that I can’t even imagine.
11. Don’t have your campaign funded by a billionaire pedophile.
Very good list Persona. If only the voters would hold the politicians to such a list. Diageo, 6905 and the numerous rezonings would nearly clean house.
Let’s see. How many politicians violated the ten commandments. There’s Bill Clinton, John Edward, John Ensign, Mark Sanford, Mark Folly(Foley), Jim McGreevey…