We are all living with the effects of a hurting economy. This Christmas season has been a lesson in making due. And this is not an isolated incident. You begin to lose faith in the big three automakers when they have to beg on their knees for enough cash to limp through the year. But what really makes this Christmas season odd are the scandals that have broken. With Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich  making a bizarre statement with vague claims of innocence. This is after the overwhelming evidence that points to his trying to sell Obama's senate seat, We are left wondering what the majority of Illinois voters use as their criteria at the polls. Is it transparency? Is it morality perhaps? As evidenced by the election, probably not. The people that vote in men like Blagojevich are not for his corruption, they just don’t take the whole person into account. Reading about a candidate's past, looking at a variety of sources for what they stand for, and researching how they vote seems to be too much for the average voter. Instead, they vote for the shell, the talking head that appears on the screen or the voice on the radio. And I must be blunt. It is not only irresponsible to vote for someone you don’t know anything about. It is immoral. I am not saying you are not allowed to make mistakes. Nor am I saying I believe you are eternally condemned. Far from it, we all commit immoral acts every day and can receive forgiveness. But it is our responsibility to try to see what we are voting for. Otherwise we reap the results. If we believe ourselves too busy to carry out our civic, and I believe moral duty, surley there are others out there who devote much of their lives to providing easy access to such information. It may be in our best interest as conservatives to help voters more easily find this material to help them. I do not know if the ethically liberal, or morally loose voters can be convinced of the importance of integrity in a candidate, This is especially true if they themselves are lacking.

Corruption in not limited to government. Financial advisor Bernard Madoff has been indicted for stealing fifty billion dollars. This is money stolen from investors and charities. This is as large as Bill Gates fortune. Much more than he needs. Much of this was money for people who are trying to just survive. Chances are, if you gave money to several charities, he spent some of it. Twelve years ago, someone noticed that some of Madoff’s records were inconsistent and reported it. Nothing happened. According to talk show host Michel Medved, it later turned out that one of the investigators was married to Madoff’s niece. The economy was hurt, as well as the confidence and trust of Americans. We have to realize that when a section of our nation has moral decline, the implications directly effect all of us. It kind of highlights how the classic verse, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" is more practical than people give credit.

Inside and outside of government, trust is essential, and trust can only be earned. When the trust of Americans is breached, There are two reactions we can have to these outrages. We can either forget they ever happened in six months and learn nothing, or we can remember that authority figures, leaders and representative must be accountable for their actions. As Americans, We have to vote for people that represent us, and our worldview. Not that we vote out of prejudice, but do what is in our power to avoid events like these unacceptable scandals, and even promote hope and confidence.