Political News with an Ethics Slant Featured in World Press
Sep 29th, 2008 • Posted in: NewsHouse Ethics Committee begins probe of Ways and Means chairman; New Jersey gets tough on ethics; Irish politicians debate privacy laws, but study shows most of the complaints about intrusion come from politicians; economic collapse seems to force presidential campaigns off the low road, posits one editorial page
VARIOUS DATELINES
Last week marked a brisk season in stories from the busy intersection of politics and ethics. Among the items:
- The Ethics Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives last week voted to begin an investigation into whether the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, New York Rep. Charles Rangel, violated House rules in matters involving unpaid taxes, use of rent-controlled apartments, and allegations of improper fundraising, USA Today reports. Rangel, a Democrat, says he has done nothing wrong and is the target of a GOP “guerilla war.” Rangel has refused Republican calls to step down as chairman of the influential committee.
- The state of New Jersey, roiled by a series of ethics scandals, adopted four ethics-related executive orders last week that will impose controls on contributions by firms and individuals who do business with the state, set new contribution limits, and create a task force to recommend ways to strengthen ethics, reports the Asbury Park Press. In an editorial, the Newark Star-Ledger said it spports the move, saying it “will go a long way toward eliminating many of the practices that have resulted in a parade of officials marching from town hall offices to prison cells.”
- Irish politicians are crusading for tougher privacy laws — but, according to a report from the Irish Independent, it appears that there may be a measure of self-interest involved. An analysis of privacy complaints against the media shows that a vast majority of privacy complaints are coming from politicians themselves, prompting criticism that toughening of the privacy laws is essentially a mechanism to muzzle the press. The study, conducted by Dublin University’s Institute of Ethics, examined parliamentary debates and formal complaints filed with various regulatory agencies.
- San Francisco Chronicle editorial page editor John Diaz, analyzing last week’s debate between U.S. presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama, in which both candidates focused partly on the economy, argues that the recent financial bombshells have actually raised the ethics bar for the level of discourse by the campaigns. “It’s hard to imagine that either campaign would dare go back to the triviality and ‘gotcha’ tactics that had pervaded the campaign in recent months,” Diaz writes.
Sources: San Francisco Chronicle, Sep. 28 — Star-Ledger, Sep. 27 — Asbury Park Press, Sep. 26 — Irish Independent, Sep. 26 — USA Today, Sep. 24.
For more information, see: Related Newsline story, Sep. 22 — Related Newsline story, Sep. 15 — Related Newsline story, Sep. 15 — Related Newsline story, July 28 — Related Newsline story, Sep. 10, 2007.
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