issue43 【FF小组】by duyuan3377 第一次限时模考，字数失控没写完555

duyuan3377UID: 2415765

TOPIC: ISSUE43 - "To be an effective leader, a public official must maintain the highest ethical and moral standards."
WORDS: 427+*=597          TIME: 00:45:00 +10mins           DATE: 2008-12-1 15:54:44
(已经放到word里面改过错别字,一着急，打错太多了，555,还没写完,写第一段的时候就感觉有点失控，知道肯定写不完了。)
The author asserts that a public official must maintain the highest ethical and moral standards in order to be an effective leader. In the modern materialism-dominated society with all kinds of temptations filled in, undoubtedly, it is essential for a effective public official to keep in mind quite high ethical and moral standards; yet it is a kind of idealism to require the highest.

First of all, from the view of the public official's job and responsibility, without high ethical and moral standards, a public official is unable to fulfill his/her responsibility for his/her group or the whole society. Only the morality and ethics can ensure that a public official does in the way he/she should do. Public officials often make some important policies which significantly influence on our daily life. There must be some standard and principle in his mind to decide which should be insisted and which should be given up. It is the high ethical and moral standards that guarantee he/she always choose to do the right thing for the whole group rather than himself/herself or a small group related to him/her when the interests conflict with each other. From the contrary side, can you imagine a unethical and immoral person with all kinds of weaknesses in his character, such as selfishness, greed, dishonest, lechery, being an effective leader? The person is very likely to be influenced by many temptations, such as money, power and beauty. In my opinion, the high ethical and moral standards play a key role in being an effective leader.

In the second place, from the view of the ability of the public official's achieving his/her job, without of high ethical and moral standards, a public official would lose trust of the people, therefore losing the ability to make his/her decisions realized. In a democratic country like United States, public officials are always elected and supervised by the people they lead. The high ethical and moral qualification make the public believe that the person is the right one to lead us, without which the leader might fall down from where he rose up. The Watergate Case is a good example. When President Richard Nixon’s dishonest and improper operations in the reelection were revealed to the public, people doubted if Nixon was still reliable and had the qualification to be the President. At last, Nixon was impeached and became the first president to resign during his term in American history. In conclusion, high ethical and moral standards provide for public officials with beneficial condition to fulfill his task.

However, maintaining the highest ethical and moral standards is not practical, even impossible, though high ethical and moral standards are so significant for a public official. Firstly, it is too difficult to evaluate “the highest”. Who decide who have the highest ethic and moral standards and how they decide are both questionable. Moreover, sometimes the job of public officials and the highest morality and ethics are contradictory. The highest ethical and moral standards are only suitable for being kept in Bible as a ideal guidance for human beings, rather than being requirement for an effective public official.

In summary, as an effective leader, a public official is the guide for the society and he/she stands for the people and makes significant decisions and policies from which the citizens and the society can benefit. Their jobs are lofty and their responsibility is extremely great.  As a result, a public official must maintain high ethical and moral standards in his mind. Yet "high" is enough; "the highest" is not necessary and is impossible to evaluate.