People say there’s a lot wrong with politicians, but what about what’s wrong with voters?

Many people throughout the world are just grateful when their leaders don’t murder people or declare themselves dictators. American voters, however, hold their political candidates to a standard so high that it’s impossible for anyone not to disappoint.

Not only do we want someone who’s perfectly in line with our views, but we want someone who has always had those views and never wavered. Yet I ask you, who among you have never changed your mind?

If you can claim you have never changed your mind about a person, an issue, a situation, then by all means, require that of your politicians as well.

As for me, I applaud people who can step back, admit that they were wrong and take a new stance that they believe to be more correct.

Moreover, I think a person who refuses to see the opposite side of an issue is not only stubborn, but foolish.

No one wants to be seen as a flip flopper, but I think there’s a difference between being flexible and changing your views to suit whomever you are dealing with at the moment.

What the people in Washington need to do is be flexible. They need to be willing to work with others who may not have the same views. This is known as bipartisanship.

Yet politicians are scared to compromise with people of the opposite party because their voters might see them as people who don’t stand up for what they believe in, people with no backbones and, worst of all, people who are no longer worthy to hold their seat.

What should be more important than promising to stand firm on some specific issue is pledging to advance the United States’ society and economy by whatever means needed.

Voters continually complain about the lack of progress Washington makes, but how can elected officials make progress when no one is willing to risk working with the enemy – the people of the opposite party.

One of two things needs to happen for any progress to be made within our two-party system.

First, politicians could start realizing that balancing our budget, furthering our economy and setting right other issues is more important than holding their seat. They could rise to a higher standard, but this time one of unselfishness.

Or, voters need to relax their hold on their representatives and allow them to do their jobs without threats of being punished for it later.

Our democratic system is ideally set up to allow everyone a voice in what’s going on in the nation, and I hope people exercise that right. However, it’s important to remember that politicians are only human, too.

All I ask of those who I vote for is that they will have the heart to know what they want and a mind that is strong enough to say yes to change.