If you follow the news, you already know that some major cities haven't exactly been playing by the rules. Salt Lake City got their Olympics with a little money under the table. It's been revealed that Philadelphia has been misreporting its crime statistics for years - and won acclaim for its low crime rate. Probably the people who first made the decision to bend the rules thought that it was all in a good cause; after all, they did it to benefit their community, not directly to fill their own pockets. AskRecy is actively involved in promoting the prosperity of Galveston and Houston, Texas, and it almost makes me wonder: if the competition is cheating and getting away with it, do we have to cheat just to keep up?
Unfortunately, the fallout from these actions affects more than the cheaters intended. The whole reputation of the International Olympic Committee has been tarnished, and there are bad feelings around the globe about what happened.
As for Philadelphia, the business of covering up crime became a part of the system, and crime victims were being ignored. Criminals were not even being pursued for the "invisible" crimes.
The loss of credibility is what hurts most of all. When people hear crime statistics now, they may well say, "yeah, right..." because they don't know who to believe. When some U.S. city gets a big convention or sporting event, the public may wink and ask, "Wonder who got rich off that deal?"
We have to maintain a higher standard. Most of the community leaders in our cities are men of good faith; we can play by the rules and still succeed.