Leaders

Sorry this is a little late, I didn't finish in class, and then forgot to do it for HW.

We elect leaders for their qualifications, beliefs, and past experiences, we elect them because we respect these things, and therefore respect them. We do not elect politicians primarily for their personal lives, however we do expect them to live in an honorable, legal way, that will not interfere with their job. Some expect them to be perfect, but this is unrealistic, politicians are people too, and no person is flawless. What people should expect is that when an elected official steps beyond these boundaries, they will correct themselves before the situation worsens, like any rational person would. If officials do not do this, the officials must reconsider their positions. If they still fail to fix the problem or resign, then the people must force them to.

However, any other situation in a politician's personal life that is legal and doesn't interfere with their duties should be private. We elect the politicians because we respect them, and after we elect them we should continue to respect them and their privacy.

Elliot Spitzer is obviously going through some difficult times in his personal life, and if it were only that, then I wouldn't be bothered by it. However, he has committed a crime, and even though I know politicians aren't perfect, I expect them to at least abide by their own rules. We place a great amount of pressure and responsibility on our governor, it is a challenging position, and I understand how such pressure might have influenced Spitzer, but it is no excuse. If a politician is not prepared for such a role, then the politician shouldn't run for the position, or should resign. This is why, even though my respect for Eliot Spitzer has lessened (a little), I respect his desicion to resign.

Even though what Spitzer did was wrong and hypocritical, I don't think that he deserves as much criticism as the media is currently giving him. Because, yes, he did make a huge mistake but he acknowledged that mistake, and resigned. Yet still all we can dwell on is the fact that he made a mistake, albeit a big one. We do not think about all the good he did for this state in taking down corruption, all we do is point at his one mistake and say, how could you?

Students aren't politicians and in grading and assesing students, teachers should, to an extent, take into account their personal lives. If a student is having family troubles, or a loved one has died, a teacher should be more lienient in deadlines, offer extra help, or allow students to rewrite reports they've done poorly on. However, a student's actual grade shouldn't be altered because of family or personal troubles. If a student hands in a well written paper, it deserves an A, if it is poorly done, then it deserves a lower grade, regardless of the student's personal life.