Stop Pandering!

Our political system has deteriorated to a point where our leaders are constantly pandering. They tell us that we deserve an easier path and that someone else should shoulder the challenges that we face. They offer us favors and special treatment in order to gain our support.

Do our leaders think so little of us and believe that we only care about ourselves? Do they believe that we need to be bought with favors and handouts?

Pandering occurs in both political parties. Politicians create and feed off an environment of self interest. Instead of communicating the significant challenges that we face, our leaders fall back on simple answers and half truths.

Why do our leaders believe that we will only act in self interest? We have shown over and over again that we will step up to challenges and take on individual burdens to serve the greater good. Not everyone will step up when asked, but a majority will. We can and should be asked to do more to address the issues facing our nation. Our citizens can bear more responsibility for solving the challenges ranging from the debt crisis, to high unemployment, to the wars we fight overseas.

During the republican debate this week in Las Vegas, the candidates told Nevadans that it is not fair to dump nuclear waste from 49 other states into the Yucca Mountain storage facility. This is pandering, and both the republicans and the democratic Obama administration are sacrificing national need for votes in Nevada. Nevada is a swing state and our politicians believe that they need to buy Nevada's vote. Should only politically-unimportant states bear this burden instead? Regardless of what you believe about the viability of Yucca Mountain, the decision should not be driven by the politics of the next election.

Our citizens will step up if you ask them to. We have nearly unlimited capacity to overcome obstacles and do the right thing. Our leaders need to expect more and ask more of us. We want step up and be held to a higher standard. Our political leaders should communicate the following:

1. The reality of the challenges we face.
2. A vision of what it will take to overcome those challenges.
3. The shared sacrifices and efforts that we need to make.

We want to be asked to serve a greater purpose. We want to be help to a higher standard. Great leaders will inspire us to great accomplishments, not pander to our lesser selves.