American Values

What are American values nowadays? With the turn of the century we have turned into the age of information. You can pretty much google anything and get search results back in an instant. We are now bombarded with more conspiracy theories about our president's actions on an unjust war (Bush), is Obama really a U.S. citizen, does Sarah Palin really think before she speaks? Every time you see a news headline about one of our top officials either in the white house or looking for a position in the white house we have to think about all the information we hear about them. When selecting a politician for a position in the government we don't just vote for them based on where they stand on important issues but we have to think about that picture we saw of them wearing a compromising outfit or think of the interview where he admitted to smoking marijuana.
Are we more influenced by the bad things we hear about people rather than the good? Is it possible that we are given too much to think about? Are the scandals that each mayor or governor has been involved in make it seem like we can't trust our figures of authority? What qualities are we suppose to look for in our government officials?
Back in the days of my parents or rather my parents parents things were a bit more clear cut. I'm not saying perfect, definitely far from it but as far as things go it seems like there is more corruption. Is this true or is it that we are just made aware of it more due to the many outlets we have today? When what is happening on jersey shore is just as important or more important than the healthcare reform bill being passed, I think it is time that we have to re-evaluate our priorities.