What I want out of politics...

Those of you who know me, know that I am not exactly a fan of politics, or politicians for that matter. I teeter on the brink of being apathetic at times. Don't get me wrong, I care deeply for the society that I am a part of and I do have views on social and political issues, but I am constantly disappointed with the way politics are "handled". First of all I am sick & tired of the media dictating what I get to see and what I don't. I'm tired of them choosing the candidate that "they" view as the most worthy of air time and how certain candidates or parties are presented in a negative or positive light depending on what "they" deem appropriate. Politics are turned into a joke through cartoons, comedy sketches, stand up routines and opening bits on late night talk shows. I find it sad that political offices are often filled by way of a popularity contest. That each "side" seeks to attract the best celebrity to join their campaign.
It seems like anytime we open a newspaper or turn on the TV, we are bombarded with stories about politicians laundering money, having affairs, lying, blaming others, making empty promises or countless other behaviors that can only be described as corrupt. This is most frustrating to me because I used to work with middle schoolers in an after school program that sought to teach respect, hard work, responsibility, positive self image and character. However, then they turn on the TV and the very leaders of their community, state and even country are behaving in ways that lack serious integrity. We aren't even talking about MTV, BET, or any other pop culture influences....we are talking about the government...the people who are in charge of making decisions that effect our everyday life. This manifests itself even in little ways. For instance, my least favorite part of campaign season are the advertisements, specifically TV ads. I can't stand when one candidate slanders another, even if it is done in a "subtle" or "respectful" manner. In my opinion if you don't have enough merit to stand on your own without putting someone else down, then you have absolutely no business running for office. This seems like such a juvenile concept. We spend years trying to teach children not to put others down...yet again, the "grown ups" in our society do it every day. I have since made it a habit that anytime a political ad comes on TV and starts putting down another candidate i turn it off. I realize this does not really affect the candidate so much, but for me it is a way of not letting them affect me with their negative messages. All I want are honest, hard working politicians who genuinely have the best interest of their people at heart. I also realize that we have a role in this as well. We have the responsibility to vote for the candidates that we feel will best carry out what we feel is important. I think we also have the responsibility to conduct ourselves with grace and respect. I realize that I will probably not always agree with the elected officials, however I still need to respect those that have been placed in authority. If I feel that their actions or judgements are morally wrong, there are proper methods for addressing this, however being disrespectful, making slanderous jokes and skits certainly does nothing to help resolve the problem. We can dislike someone or their platform and still handle ourselves in a dignified manner. I guess I feel like if we expect our leaders to be "better", we have to be "better" as well.