Hey Senator! Can You Spell Ethics Reform?
Ron DeYoung
February 18, 2006
Being the optimistic individual that I am, always seeing the beer bottle as half full rather than half empty, it?s difficult to admit that at times I feel like we are all doomed. Perhaps everyone should just give up and blindly follow the members of our society who wear the nicest clothes, or have the most money. I say let?s just let them tell us they know what?s best for us and we?ll believe them. Let?s not question what they say because after all, they are the ones holding the gavel and sitting in the round room at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in the nation?s capital.
Don?t get me wrong! It?s not that I think for a minute everyone in a position of power is legitimate or even competent. It just takes too much effort to fight them.
Take for instance former Senator John Ford (D-Tennessee). Ford is accused of threatening the lives of those who defied him and taking bribes to award government contracts. He was finally indicted and forced to resign, only to have the voters in his jurisdiction elect his sister.
Ms. Ophelia Ford wins by 13 votes and we find out at least two of those votes were miraculously cast by dead people, several from outside her jurisdiction, and over a hundred that were cast improperly.
What really concerns me is that Ophelia Ford has as much support as she does, simply because the general public is weak and too lazy to think that something may be wrong. Someone from a powerful political family must be trusted.
And let us not forget that since the word ethics is on the tip of everyone?s tongue, and our esteemed government representatives and lawmakers are dropping like flies into an ever deepening quagmire of corruption and deceit, those same representatives put on a game real similar to charades, but call it sweeping ethics reform. Why hasn?t anybody said what should be said each time the headlines scream about the magnificent progress that?s been made in ethics reform? Why is everyone acting like this has been a modern day parting of the Red Sea? The only thing sweeping in this thing is the fact that it?s sweeping the issue of ethics reform under the rug.
I can imagine some of the conversations at the Capital in Nashville recently:
Let?s just tell everyone that it?s all fixed,? one lawmaker suggests. ?Yeah,? says another. ?We?ll make a big deal about both houses agreeing on something,? Politico #2 adds. Getting a dreamy look in his eyes, the first guy says, ?The little people will be so amazed we agreed on something they won?t even notice we hardly did anything!? A third legislator, from the old school in West Tennessee, had overheard the conversation and joined them to add a suggestion.
Gentlemen, just in case anyone notices nothing was accomplished, may I make a couple suggestions,? he asked? ?Certainly Senator,? they replied and then waited eagerly for his complicity.
Boys, if any of these poor, insignificant idiots we are supposed to represent notices we?ve swept ethics reform under the rug and can actually get anyone to pay attention to him, here?s what you do?? the senior politico said. They waited as he drew on his cigar and slowly let the exhaled smoke cloud their impatient eyes before continuing.
First of all, immediately mention the irregularities in the Memphis Senatorial election results. That gal will help us divert attention and then when the eyes are turned, we?ll tell anyone still listening that we reached a compromise and passed?. Now this is the good part??We?ll tell them we passed?? Are you ready for this?? He asked giggling.
Like a starving pack of wolves they waited, drooling. ?We?ll call it SWEEPING Ethics reform, and that?s what all the press will say,? he said as they all began laughing. ?Everyone knows the media will say what we tell them, and those rednecks believe whatever?s on the TV,? he concluded, blowing another puff of Cuban smoke into their faces.
Now I?ve never really seen how business is done in the Capital, but something similar to the above fictional scenario, can?t be far from reality. That?s the only explanation there can be for the abuse of power that has overcome government.
Look at what the great accomplishment in Tennessee?s Sweeping Ethics Reform consisted of and think for a minute! Limiting individual donations to a mere $101,400 in an election cycle, prohibiting lobbyists from receiving contingency fees and limiting what a lobbyist?s employer can spend when they bribe lawmakers with meals costing up to $50. Is that what we call sweeping reform now? They failed to pass amendments limiting individual donations to $25,000 per election and to limit political action committees to giving no more than $20,000 to political caucuses!
Well see? My confidence in our elected officials has already risen by leaps and bounds!
After all, they?ve passed sweeping ethics reform which ensures they?ll be bribed with less money now.
Ethical standards, in any level of government are constantly swept under the rug, effectively destroying any expectation of honesty. Sadly, the public are so inured to the deceit and corruption; they neither insist on, nor expect more from their representatives.
This causes me to wonder if we, the people, are doing our part in holding elected officials accountable to us. Perhaps the current shamefully low level of public outcry is indicative of a society that has given up on democracy.
Somewhere in the course of my life, I picked up a fairly strong sense of morality. I don?t know when, why or by whom my personal ethos was imprinted into my psyche, but I seem to usually have a pretty definite idea of right and wrong that is kind of aligned with The Golden Rule. It boils down to these simple rules:
Don?t get me wrong! It?s not that I think for a minute everyone in a position of power is legitimate or even competent. It just takes too much effort to fight them.
Take for instance former Senator John Ford (D-Tennessee). Ford is accused of threatening the lives of those who defied him and taking bribes to award government contracts. He was finally indicted and forced to resign, only to have the voters in his jurisdiction elect his sister.
Ms. Ophelia Ford wins by 13 votes and we find out at least two of those votes were miraculously cast by dead people, several from outside her jurisdiction, and over a hundred that were cast improperly.
What really concerns me is that Ophelia Ford has as much support as she does, simply because the general public is weak and too lazy to think that something may be wrong. Someone from a powerful political family must be trusted.
And let us not forget that since the word ethics is on the tip of everyone?s tongue, and our esteemed government representatives and lawmakers are dropping like flies into an ever deepening quagmire of corruption and deceit, those same representatives put on a game real similar to charades, but call it sweeping ethics reform. Why hasn?t anybody said what should be said each time the headlines scream about the magnificent progress that?s been made in ethics reform? Why is everyone acting like this has been a modern day parting of the Red Sea? The only thing sweeping in this thing is the fact that it?s sweeping the issue of ethics reform under the rug.
I can imagine some of the conversations at the Capital in Nashville recently:
Let?s just tell everyone that it?s all fixed,? one lawmaker suggests. ?Yeah,? says another. ?We?ll make a big deal about both houses agreeing on something,? Politico #2 adds. Getting a dreamy look in his eyes, the first guy says, ?The little people will be so amazed we agreed on something they won?t even notice we hardly did anything!? A third legislator, from the old school in West Tennessee, had overheard the conversation and joined them to add a suggestion.
Gentlemen, just in case anyone notices nothing was accomplished, may I make a couple suggestions,? he asked? ?Certainly Senator,? they replied and then waited eagerly for his complicity.
Boys, if any of these poor, insignificant idiots we are supposed to represent notices we?ve swept ethics reform under the rug and can actually get anyone to pay attention to him, here?s what you do?? the senior politico said. They waited as he drew on his cigar and slowly let the exhaled smoke cloud their impatient eyes before continuing.
First of all, immediately mention the irregularities in the Memphis Senatorial election results. That gal will help us divert attention and then when the eyes are turned, we?ll tell anyone still listening that we reached a compromise and passed?. Now this is the good part??We?ll tell them we passed?? Are you ready for this?? He asked giggling.
Like a starving pack of wolves they waited, drooling. ?We?ll call it SWEEPING Ethics reform, and that?s what all the press will say,? he said as they all began laughing. ?Everyone knows the media will say what we tell them, and those rednecks believe whatever?s on the TV,? he concluded, blowing another puff of Cuban smoke into their faces.
Now I?ve never really seen how business is done in the Capital, but something similar to the above fictional scenario, can?t be far from reality. That?s the only explanation there can be for the abuse of power that has overcome government.
Look at what the great accomplishment in Tennessee?s Sweeping Ethics Reform consisted of and think for a minute! Limiting individual donations to a mere $101,400 in an election cycle, prohibiting lobbyists from receiving contingency fees and limiting what a lobbyist?s employer can spend when they bribe lawmakers with meals costing up to $50. Is that what we call sweeping reform now? They failed to pass amendments limiting individual donations to $25,000 per election and to limit political action committees to giving no more than $20,000 to political caucuses!
Well see? My confidence in our elected officials has already risen by leaps and bounds!
After all, they?ve passed sweeping ethics reform which ensures they?ll be bribed with less money now.
Ethical standards, in any level of government are constantly swept under the rug, effectively destroying any expectation of honesty. Sadly, the public are so inured to the deceit and corruption; they neither insist on, nor expect more from their representatives.
This causes me to wonder if we, the people, are doing our part in holding elected officials accountable to us. Perhaps the current shamefully low level of public outcry is indicative of a society that has given up on democracy.
Somewhere in the course of my life, I picked up a fairly strong sense of morality. I don?t know when, why or by whom my personal ethos was imprinted into my psyche, but I seem to usually have a pretty definite idea of right and wrong that is kind of aligned with The Golden Rule. It boils down to these simple rules:
- Be good to people, even if you don?t understand them.
- Respect others property and beliefs
- Don?t take what isn?t yours
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