What is it about public office that makes politicians so corrupt and out of control? One only has to follow Rob Ford’s shenanigan’s to know that someone can be elected to public office and not behave the way a politician should. Is it that pressure of always having to keep a spotless public persona that makes politicians go off the deep end? Or is it simply that high functioning people such as politicians are more prone to a wild side? There are a number of ways that one can observe politicians behaving badly.

Sex scandals are one of the more common public office debacles to grace the headlines. Local and national government offices are frequently adulterated by a politician having sex with another politician, an intern, a government employee, a celebrity, a prostitute or an otherwise common citizen. There have been many notable sex scandals in government offices, even dating back to the presidency of George Washington.

Substance abuse scandals are another common character flaw found in politicians, modern and historic. In past decades and even centuries, alcohol was a widely abused substance among politicians, even long before alcoholism was defined under the terms it is today. Presently, many politicians have been discovered to possess illegal drugs, particular marijuana, cocaine and opiates. Rob Ford has become the modern face of political drug abuse due to his crack-cocaine problem, and has recently entered rehab for drug abuse.

It is also very common for politicians to misuse their power and not disclose their decisions to the public. Often, they are exposed by political investigators or journalists for their wrong-doings, but there seems to be an air of exhilaration in squandering control from the voting public. Politicians are frequently discovered to be lying about the allocation of funds, the filing of necessary papers, the treatment of employees and so on. No one wins when a politician is unethical, however, this does not keep many from trying to get away with criminal actions.