Will the Real Problem Please Stand Up?

You'd have to be living under a rock to have missed what is happening with the states' highest executive here in Illinois the last few weeks. Allegedly, we have Governor who is on audio recordings making statements about what he planned to do and what he planned not to do about filling a vacated US Senate seat here in Illinois. Interestingly enough the seat was made vacant because the current President-elect Barak Obama had to resign the seat in order to eventually take the office of President of the United States.

Now maybe i am just way too cynical but frankly, the whole affair is not all that shocking... not from the sense that it's not a big deal but rather this is one case in which i wonder if the electorate of Illinois is ultimately to blame. Not only that, but is it possible that while we (the people, the press and whomever else) wring our hands, call for impeachment and whatever else... our real problem, the real "enemy" so to speak isn't simply graft, greed or politics as usual... maybe the problem is us.

From not voting, to not caring, to not getting connected with our communities, perhaps the issue is us. It would seem that the threshold, the standard to serve in a public role has been lowered so significantly... we have so grown accustomed to excusing poor behavior... especially the poor behavior of those who have been entrusted with positions of leadership both public officials and private individuals... maybe the problem is really us.

It's ridiculous to think that our leaders are going to live up to a standard that the rest of us pretty much ignore as well... so while we point and wag our fingers, while we cluck our tongues in disgust... i wonder if each of us would do well to take a personal integrity and character inventory.

Do i think the governor of our state is as pure as the driven snow (which is piling up pretty fast outside my window right now)...hmmmm probably not. But one thing for sure, the problem is not all with the governor, i truly think the real problem... just maybe us.