This new study by the University of San Diego about what a majority of elected officials face is a cause for concern. And in a different way, so is the sale of the San Diego Union Tribune and the staff cutbacks that are coming with it.
The study found that nearly 75 percent of elected officials in San Diego County report being threatened or harassed, from the county board of supervisors and city councils to school boards…with many of them saying threatening and harassing language has become the norm.
The study’s authors warn of this normal behavior now toward elected officials can have a chilling effect on those deciding to serve in public office.
We all want our elected officials to serve with wisdom and integrity but the study reflects a growing tendency among some voters not to just vote them out if they don’t serve in that way…but to verbally harass and threaten the people that we elect to office.
And that means we as voters need to take our votes seriously and to stay informed about what our elected officials are doing.
And that’s why the cutbacks of journalists coming at the now sold San Diego Union Tribune and staff reductions at many news organizations are a concern.
President Abraham Lincoln talked about Democracy being “a government of the people, by the people and for the people”. But Thomas Jefferson warned that the people need to be informed people.
(Photo Getty Images)
Photo: Getty Images