Bad credit can happen to good people. Often all it takes is a financial misstep here or medical emergency there and the average American could easily make a late payment, miss a payment, or fall behind all together on their bills. While there is usually a unique personal story, and often a very good reason, rarely are individual circumstances a factor when your credit score is calculated.

Now more than ever it's important for individuals to know their credit scores; but apparently private citizens aren't the only ones who need to know the three digit score that's become the "grade" you're given based on your on-going financial behavior.

Recently a very gutsy newspaper in Toledo, Ohio challenged both Republican and Democrat City Counsel candidates to "show their cards," by giving access to their credit reports and credit scores for the voting public to see.

This raises a very interesting question; would an elected official's credit score affect your vote?

I began to think about the potential precedent that this challenge would set if all political candidates were asked to "come clean" with this information. Sure we