<i>why aren&#x27;t we holding our leaders to some kind of moral standard?</i><p>Because I don&#x27;t care about their morals. Be as corrupt as you want, as immoral as you want, that doesn&#x27;t (for this example) make the air dirty. However, if we catch you not meeting the standards put forth, the hammer will fall swiftly and hard.<p>But suppose we publish a moral standard to be met. Who&#x27;s chosen deity do we use? Because for the majority of people, there&#x27;s at least a nod to some form of god when aligning our moral compasses. In some cultures, a little corruption is just part of it. From my POV, most of our systems of laws have a little morality baked in, but those systems are more concerned about outcomes. &quot;Don&#x27;t do this, or punish shall befall you.&quot; &quot;If you manufacture these, they must meet a minimum standard, or you will be fined.&quot;