Trust & Ethics: Our Broken Government

The public’s trust in those elected to operate our government, from either party, has eroded severely. Frankly, this lack of trust and dissatisfaction is well-deserved at all levels.

At the federal level, we have a Republican Administration that violates civil liberties, flaunts the rule of law, and misleads the public and Congress. We also have a Democratic Congress that continues to enable this bad behavior and fails to hold the Executive Branch accountable. Our Supreme Court votes cases along partisan and ideological lines. Most recent Federal corruption cases have been of Republicans, but some Democrats have also been tainted by scandal.

In our own state, we’ve seen the “defacing stain” of Jim Black’s illegal activities, and the cancer may have spread. We’ve also had a whole slew of very questionable actions from other legislators, lobbyists, and public officials. Some of these, such as special budget provisions and funding a legislator’s “day job” or family scholarships with taxpayer money, may be strictly legal, but are obvious conflicts of interest or shortcuts that damage the credibility of our lawmakers. Most of these failures are of my fellow Democrats, but Republicans have a share of unsavory activity as well.

In order to restore our trust and pride in our government, we need to place the business of the people above personal and partisan interests. We must have the highest ethical standards, both in the law and in the daily conduct of our elected officials. Those in a position of power and trust must be held personally accountable when they fail to serve with unquestionable integrity.