Are You Qualified?

 Chances are, that if you wanted a job as a Systems Engineer or a QA Manager or a Billing Processor you’re going to need to meet some job requirements. I mean you can’t just show up and get the nod, right?

My point is, no matter what job you pursue, you need to prove that you’re qualified for it. I see no such standard for holding political office and I wonder why. It seems especially critical in this day and age to establish some sort of standard.

I’ve heard it all my life, “Get out and vote! Many people have suffered and some have died for your right to vote.”  If they had any inkling about the characters we have to choose from I wonder if they would’ve still taken the risk.

A trend seems to have emerged over the last 25+ years in America: U.S. citizens have become increasingly frustrated and dissatisfied with their political leaders and the limited choices they have at the polls.

I mean when your options are tweedle-dee or tweedle-dum, it’s a little hard to get excited about Election Day.

What are the qualifications to become a mayor? Governor? Senator? President? What should they be? Is their a job description lying around somewhere?

These days, if you can afford the price of the ticket, or you have name recognition, you can get in and play.

Personally, wealthy politicians have always turned me off. Not that I have any issues with wealth per se but how can you trust them?  What are their true motives? It definitely ain’t the pay.

I was always under the impression that politicians are (theoretically) supposed to serve the public while in office.  My question is how do you serve people that you can’t even relate to?

Let’s take a look at some major political positions and the qualifications for each, shall we?

Mayor: Must be at least 25 years of age, a qualified voter, a member of his/her political party, and a resident of the territory for at least 1 yr. prior to the election

U.S. Congress: To become a member of the House of Representatives one must be at least 25 years of age, have been a citizen of the US for at least 7 years, and be an inhabitant of the state they are running for representative in.

Senator: The three qualifications set forth by Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution for senators are: 1) each senator must be at least 30 years old,

2) Must have been a citizen of the United States for at least the past nine years, and 3) must be (at the time of the election) an inhabitant of the state he or she seeks to represent.

Governor: The qualifications for governor vary from state to state as specified in each state's constitution. In general most states require that a candidate hold U.S. citizenship, meet the age requirement (usually 30), and be a resident or registered voter of the state for a certain number of years prior to the election.

President: The age and citizenship requirements as set forth by the US Constitution, Article II, Section 1 you must be a natural born citizen or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution. Shall be eligible to the office of President; be at least thirty-five years of age, and been a resident within the United States for at least fourteen years.

If you were to sit down and create a list of qualifications for an elected official what sort of items would be on it?