Do As I Say … — By John Reed

Do As I Say…
… Not as I do. Most of us as kids got that instruction from adults. Parents, teachers, and others unwittingly taught kids irony and sarcasm long before we were really emotionally equipped to deal with such.
As adults, we should know better: we should recognize that sort of behavior in others, even more so in ourselves. I’m sure we don’t wake up each morning planning to be examples or role models but it happens nevertheless. In some walks of life, it’s guaranteed: law enforcement, media folks, actors, politicians, to name a few.
A local example: driving through the Georgia backroads, I’m frequently passed by various police, sheriff, or highway patrol cars running easily 10-15 miles an hour faster than me, which is (ahem) usually over the legal limit myself. No lights or siren signaling an emergency somewhere.
Granted, situations sometimes require “silent running” but it seems unlikely that’s always the case. My point is it’s hard to earn respect as an officer of the law if you don’t obey the law yourself. To be clear, I’m a huge supporter of law enforcement in general, but it’s easier with some members than others.
The double standard in politics is so prevalent I just naturally expect all politicians to be liars. I suspect most of the electorate feels the same, and votes for the less egregious choice. Certainly part of the reason Trump won was the terrible trust record of Hilary Clinton. One could argue Biden won for the same reason.
Elections these days are decided by voting *against* someone instead of *for* the other. It certainly looks like the 2024 presidential campaign will follow suit. Each side claims the other is criminally unfit for office.
When was the last time we had a candidate for any office we actually felt good about?