It's almost impossible to go a day without hearing or reading about some elected or appointed official lying, cheating, or stealing while supposedly serving the public.

Now, it might appear to regular readers of The Lang Report that I am more than a little preoccupied with the level of integrity of Washington and beyond these days to which I reply, "I am...and for good reason!

There is an epidemic everywhere amongst those that hold the public's trust and it is ripping the very fabric of our democracy to shreds.

Due to the abundance of incidents, I can't help wondering.....HOW & WHY!

Is it nature or nurture? I mean to say, are they inherently dishonest or were the temptation too great to resist?

Whatever the reasons it's all academic because even though it does raise interesting questions, the larger and more important issue is that it does happen, is unconscionable, and must stop!

Oh, and when the culprit gets their "hand caught in the cookie jar" you will invariably hear them cry about how sorry and ashamed they are for betraying their office. I for one, really have trouble feeling sympathetic for those people as they promised they could be trusted, asked to be trusted and in many cases actually took an oath, swearing to god to uphold their office!

This also all raises other aspects of this corruption such as the public coming to accept these betrayals of trusts which is leading to an apathy that will eventually cause irreparable damage to the system.

Every election the pundits banter about how low the turnout is amongst registered voters. It has been a sad commentary on the rampant apathy and shrinking morale that will only get worse as more people come to believe that voting is an exercise in futility because their vote probably wouldn't count and when it does they are ripped off by self-serving and low characters!

The answer? The answer is that we must raise the bar and not settle for mediocrity for starters. And when there is a problem, it is dealt with directly, swiftly and harshly so that it sends a message of intolerance.

I mean, are you aware of the punishments the guilty have been given? It's a sad joke! Take for example an incident that recently occurred in China when the Director of their Food & Drug Agency was found guilty of accepting bribes to approve drugs that eventually led to the deaths of several people. He was charged, tried, found guilty and hanged all within 60 days.

That's what I call a deterrent!