In a democratic system where we allow elected officials to speak on our behalf, you might think the American public would have a vested interest in putting each candidate through a rigorous vetting process to ensure that the best possible person is granted the privilege to lead. 

Take one look at the current U.S. House and Senate and you’ll see how wrong that statement is in reality.

In defense of the voting public, making a choice between almost any two candidates in any national election is like choosing which side of the face you want to be punched on. There is no way to win. You just think one choice is slightly more tolerable than the other. However, the American public needs to take a long, hard look at our elected officials and see if they have our best interest in mind.

Take for example the Speaker of the House, John Boehner, R-OH. In the last two weeks, the nation was caught in the middle of a gigantic political stalemate regarding the funding of the Department of Homeland Security. Americans on every side of the political spectrum thought that funding DHS was more than just a good idea, but Republicans and Democrats pushed the decision to the 11th hour and beyond before issuing a full funding plan for the rest of the fiscal year last week. Boehner, leader of the Republican House, was asked some very serious and important questions regarding the safety of the United States without DHS, but gave less than satisfying answers.

Rather than giving a straightforward answer — or an answer of any kind, really — Boehner ridiculed the journalists asking the questions that the American public wanted answered by responding with nonsensical rhymes and noises that you might use to get your dog’s attention. Not only does this make Boehner look like an incompetent buffoon, it also shows the regard he has for the American citizens who wanted to know the risks involved with shutting down DHS. The arrogance he displayed is that of a man who feels he has free license to act however he wishes without fear of political backlash.

Yet, miraculously, Boehner’s interview was not the most disappointing video to come from a politician in the last month and a half. Senator James Inhofe, R-OK, brought a snowball to work in order to prove his point that global warming is a devious leftist scheme. Inhofe defended his claims that scientists — a group of people that he consistently refers to as “alarmists” — have overlooked a significant fact of existence related to climate change: God. In his book, “The Greatest Hoax,” Inhofe writes, “This is what a lot of alarmists forget: God is still up there, and He promised to maintain the seasons and the cold and heat would never cease as long as the earth remains.” So don’t worry about the drastic climate shifts that the northeastern United States has seen this year or the increase in severe weather all across the world, God has us all covered. I mean, he promised.

If Inhofe wanted to be breathtakingly ignorant regarding science and climate change in the comfort and privacy of his own home, I would take no issue with his stance. However, he chooses to bring it out where we all have to look at it. Worse yet, Inhofe is currently the presiding chairman of the House Committee on Environment and Public Works. That is to say, Inhofe has the political jurisdiction over issues like climate change, which he does not believe exists. He earned this position by virtue of his seniority. The voting people of Oklahoma perpetuated his presence long enough for him to get to a position where he can actually do some real damage.

There are, without a doubt, countless additional examples of idiocy in their regular and political forms that are perpetrated in Washington and on both sides of the aisle. In 2016, when we are all deciding who we want to send back to represent our interests, let’s all make sure we don’t forget to do our homework and truly analyze our choices. The only way to ensure that politicians consistently act in our best interest is to show them that reelection is in no way guaranteed, as many long standing incumbents seem to believe.