Bornhere: I beg to differ. You can't turn around without reading about another elected official getting caught either breaking the law, doing something inappropriate, or giving the perception of an impropriety. I'm no saint (so don't tell me about glass houses and calling the kettle black) but when you run for public office, win and swear an oath to serve, you've accepted a higher standard of performance. Yes, the papers are full of stories about these breaches, but not printing them won't mean that the problem went away. One of last week's stories was about Christopher Ward embezzling at least $817,000 from various Republican election committees, and the investigation and new financial controls have cost an additional $900,000.

What ever happened to the principle of honorable public service? Anymore, politics seems only to attract sleazy people to a world full of money and lacking in checks & balances, and the "Mr. Smiths" who go to Washington are the exception instead of the norm.