Post by Tim Collins on Apr 16, 2009 12:33:34 GMT -7
*** Draft work in progress comments appreciated ***
What a Wonderful World it would be…
Recently a mini-civil war has broken out between some of our elected State Representatives and associated County Officials regarding the establishment of a County Ethics Commission. Both sides, blurred the battle lines in this war by debates over the constitutionality of the proposed legislation, control of the commission, the potential for political abuse of the commission, lawyer costs to “defendants”.
I do not think anyone disagrees that ethical behavior in the local government has been seriously questioned of late. Reading about this on-going battle made me think; wouldn’t it be wonderful if the elected officials concerns were more about ending the behavior than protecting the rights of the potential violators?
What a wonderful world it would be if an ethics commission was unnecessary, even better still what a wonderful world it would be if all elected officials adopted the honor code of the West Point Corp of Cadets.
The Cadet Honor Code is defined as
"A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do."
That seems to cover it for me. Isn’t that what we all want from elected officials?
Since I am openly borrowing from the U.S Military Academy already, I’ll just continue doing so and edit more of their guidance to fit our politicians.
(The original text of what follows may be found at www.usma.edu/Committees/Honor/Info/main.htm)
1. Why have an honor code?
a. In professions such as politics where life is endangered by virtue of the institution's purpose, trust becomes sacred and integrity becomes a requisite quality for each professional. An elected official who is not trustworthy cannot be tolerated; in some professions the cost of dishonesty is measured in dollars – in politics, the cost is measured in human lives.
The ability of an elected government to effectively represent and serve the needs of its citizens is predicated upon the functional necessity of honesty.
In short, the citizenry expects its elected and appointed officials to commit to a lifetime of honorable living (or at least for the period of time for which they serve).
b. In order to foster a genuine commitment to honorable living, the citizenry maintains Honor as a fundamental value. The special charter of maintaining the Honor Code & System resides with the citizenry.
To facilitate this function, I propose the formation of volunteer citizens Honor Court, and challenge all elected officials to agree in writing to submit themselves to the judgment of this court when accused of violating the Honor Code.
The Honor Court will have but one recourse should a politician be found guilty; public release of the Honor Court’s findings, and in the case of any criminal behavior, turning over all documentation to the proper judicial authorities.
2. The Elected/Appointed Officials Honor Code.
a. The Elected/Appointed Officials Honor Code is defined as "An elected/appointed official will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do."
The Honor Code expresses four succinct prohibitions. On a behavioral level, the Code represents a simple standard for all elected/appointed officials. On a developmental plane, the citizenry expects that all elected/appointed officials will strive to live far above the minimum standard of behavior and develop a commitment to ethical principles guiding moral actions.
b. An Elected/Appointed Official’s core mission is to serve as leaders of character for our citizenry. A leader of character knows what is right, and possesses the moral courage to act on that knowledge. The principles of truthfulness, fairness, respect for others, and a personal commitment to maintaining values constitute that fundamental ideal known as the Spirit of the Code. A leader of character will apply the Spirit of the Code when making decisions involving ethical dilemmas.
I began this piece describing the "mini civil war" taking place between some of our elected officials. I find it ironic that it is the elected officials fighting amongst themselves over how to enforce "ethics" in government. They are deciding how to self regulate their own behavior. The track record of elected officials (at all levels of government) policing themselves isn't really anything to write home about.
What a wonderful world it could be if the elected/appointed officials would agree to submit their behavior to the judgment of their constituents through an Honor Court as described above.
I know time is too short to set up such a system before the upcoming elections are conducted, but what if we take the first steps right now. What if before the elections are held, we ask each candidate, no matter what the office, to sign a pledge that says simply:
"I do hereby swear or affirm, that I will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do.
In the event that I am accused of breaking this solemn pledge, I promise to face my accuser directly and publicly and will answer any questions they may have regarding my perceived behavior or actions without equivocating in my answers."
Maybe the next time there is a candidates forum, one of you can ask the candidates if they would be willing to take and honor such a pledge.
Can't you just picture a candidates face when asked to sign such a pledge? Can't you just hear their waffling answers and/or delaying tactics? Or better yet the few that will scramble from behind the podium to be the first to sign up?
I know I’m a dreamer, but don’t you just love the idea!
What a Wonderful World it would be…
Recently a mini-civil war has broken out between some of our elected State Representatives and associated County Officials regarding the establishment of a County Ethics Commission. Both sides, blurred the battle lines in this war by debates over the constitutionality of the proposed legislation, control of the commission, the potential for political abuse of the commission, lawyer costs to “defendants”.
I do not think anyone disagrees that ethical behavior in the local government has been seriously questioned of late. Reading about this on-going battle made me think; wouldn’t it be wonderful if the elected officials concerns were more about ending the behavior than protecting the rights of the potential violators?
What a wonderful world it would be if an ethics commission was unnecessary, even better still what a wonderful world it would be if all elected officials adopted the honor code of the West Point Corp of Cadets.
The Cadet Honor Code is defined as
"A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do."
That seems to cover it for me. Isn’t that what we all want from elected officials?
Since I am openly borrowing from the U.S Military Academy already, I’ll just continue doing so and edit more of their guidance to fit our politicians.
(The original text of what follows may be found at www.usma.edu/Committees/Honor/Info/main.htm)
1. Why have an honor code?
a. In professions such as politics where life is endangered by virtue of the institution's purpose, trust becomes sacred and integrity becomes a requisite quality for each professional. An elected official who is not trustworthy cannot be tolerated; in some professions the cost of dishonesty is measured in dollars – in politics, the cost is measured in human lives.
The ability of an elected government to effectively represent and serve the needs of its citizens is predicated upon the functional necessity of honesty.
In short, the citizenry expects its elected and appointed officials to commit to a lifetime of honorable living (or at least for the period of time for which they serve).
b. In order to foster a genuine commitment to honorable living, the citizenry maintains Honor as a fundamental value. The special charter of maintaining the Honor Code & System resides with the citizenry.
To facilitate this function, I propose the formation of volunteer citizens Honor Court, and challenge all elected officials to agree in writing to submit themselves to the judgment of this court when accused of violating the Honor Code.
The Honor Court will have but one recourse should a politician be found guilty; public release of the Honor Court’s findings, and in the case of any criminal behavior, turning over all documentation to the proper judicial authorities.
2. The Elected/Appointed Officials Honor Code.
a. The Elected/Appointed Officials Honor Code is defined as "An elected/appointed official will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do."
The Honor Code expresses four succinct prohibitions. On a behavioral level, the Code represents a simple standard for all elected/appointed officials. On a developmental plane, the citizenry expects that all elected/appointed officials will strive to live far above the minimum standard of behavior and develop a commitment to ethical principles guiding moral actions.
b. An Elected/Appointed Official’s core mission is to serve as leaders of character for our citizenry. A leader of character knows what is right, and possesses the moral courage to act on that knowledge. The principles of truthfulness, fairness, respect for others, and a personal commitment to maintaining values constitute that fundamental ideal known as the Spirit of the Code. A leader of character will apply the Spirit of the Code when making decisions involving ethical dilemmas.
I began this piece describing the "mini civil war" taking place between some of our elected officials. I find it ironic that it is the elected officials fighting amongst themselves over how to enforce "ethics" in government. They are deciding how to self regulate their own behavior. The track record of elected officials (at all levels of government) policing themselves isn't really anything to write home about.
What a wonderful world it could be if the elected/appointed officials would agree to submit their behavior to the judgment of their constituents through an Honor Court as described above.
I know time is too short to set up such a system before the upcoming elections are conducted, but what if we take the first steps right now. What if before the elections are held, we ask each candidate, no matter what the office, to sign a pledge that says simply:
"I do hereby swear or affirm, that I will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do.
In the event that I am accused of breaking this solemn pledge, I promise to face my accuser directly and publicly and will answer any questions they may have regarding my perceived behavior or actions without equivocating in my answers."
Maybe the next time there is a candidates forum, one of you can ask the candidates if they would be willing to take and honor such a pledge.
Can't you just picture a candidates face when asked to sign such a pledge? Can't you just hear their waffling answers and/or delaying tactics? Or better yet the few that will scramble from behind the podium to be the first to sign up?
I know I’m a dreamer, but don’t you just love the idea!