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This week’s expulsion of George Santos from Congress for numerous fabrications and possible crimes is an important and welcome step toward rebuilding the reputation of not only that institution, but of American institutions as a whole. be.
Certainly he would have been better off resigning, but this vote sends a message that even in tolerant times, not all scandals survive.
In 1987, Joe Biden was kicked out of the presidential race for plagiarizing a university paper. That same year, Douglas Ginsburg had his nomination to the Supreme Court withdrawn after it was discovered that he had smoked marijuana while an associate professor at Harvard Law School.
Comer defends Hunter Biden’s private deposition, vows to release transcript and hold hearing
In 2023, Biden is president of the United States and still frequently indulges in fanciful claims that not only is cannabis broadly legal, but one of the industry’s top lobbyists is former House Speaker John Boehner.
It was a quiet but significant change.
In just 35 years, the moral, ethical, and professional standards of the public face of American institutions have completely collapsed.
In Congress, Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., roams the hallways of the Capitol to gain access to classified materials while under indictment as a foreign agent. And the institutions do nothing.
At least House Republicans can hold themselves accountable.
The world of journalism is full of professional faces, from Russiagate to COVID-19 hysteria. More recently, there was a completely bogus article about Israel’s bombing of hospitals in the Gaza Strip, which was sourced by the New York Times from Hamas terrorists.
Again, the result is zero.
When we look at public schools, test scores are plummeting across the country, many school districts are simply lowering standards rather than improving education, and racial and gender radicalization is making many parents uncomfortable. They often teach about progressive policies.
These educators win awards, and teachers’ union leaders like Randi Weingarten cash in their big paychecks to stay on TV.
When you select an institution, you will see the same pattern, but also a different one.
In 1979, 34% of Americans polled by Gallup had a great deal or a lot of confidence in Congress. Currently, that number is 8% of his anemic patients. Over the same period, newspapers decreased from her 51% to just 18%, and public schools decreased from his 53% to 26%.
Another word for confidence is trust. Today, we live in a country where the majority of people don’t trust the government, the news, or their children’s schools. It’s not sustainable and it’s tearing us apart.
Another way of thinking about trust in institutions is the same as trust in a shared framework of reality, without which there is no way to address growing problems like education, the southern border, and crime.
We have no common facts to rely on. Anything we disagree with can be dismissed as misleading or maliciously provided.
There is no substitute for trust in institutions, and no technology or fact-checking system can hold them to account. After all, why do we trust institutions the way we trust ivory towers and halls of power?
No, trust must be earned by the organization itself, and the only way to achieve that is by achieving higher standards.
These days, 50 cents’ worth of PR harassment can make 70’s law school word-stealing and party-hustling disappear faster than a Ferrari hurtling over a speed bump. Masu.
Sure, it seems harsh these days that such a relatively minor offense could disqualify someone from high-ranking public office, but is that really the case?
Perhaps in 1987 America, Biden’s plagiarism would have been a red flag. If he had that ability, he might have been able to do other wrongdoings, such as, I don’t know, influence propaganda.
Perhaps those high standards worked as intended.
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Perhaps if we’re going to print a false report that Israel committed a war crime based solely on the words of a Hamas butcher who burned a baby alive a few days ago, we should never have a byline again.
Another word for confidence is trust. Today, we live in a country where the majority of people do not trust the government, the news, or their children’s schools. It’s not sustainable and it’s tearing us apart.
Perhaps if you lead an education system that struggles to teach children reading, writing, and basic arithmetic, you should be shown the door, not the glittering ladder to greater executive power.
Until the American people again believe that those with such power, like Santos, will be punished for lying to them and failing them, public trust in our institutions will be restored. Probably not.
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Like the old joke about 25 lawyers lost at sea, the expulsion of Geroge Santos from Congress is a good start.
But that’s just the beginning. All of our institutions must set much higher standards for conduct and performance, even at the risk of severe penalties. Without it, this all-important trust will never be restored.
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