Will Congress Finally Get It?
By James Benton
Posted on Mon Jun 04, 2007 at 02:48:30 PM EST
So now Rep. William "Dollar Bill" Jefferson, D-LA (or D-Freezer, if you're the Feds) has been indicted on federal bribery, racketeering and money-laundering charges.
Aside from the obvious (never stash 90 grand in your freezer or try to solicit bribes while holding elected office), do you think Congress, and specifically, the Democratic leadership, will learn anything from this?
Here's a suggestion: You campaigned to create an "ethical Congress" but then you came up short on reform, specifically tracking the money that pays for "Astroturf lobbying" and a two-year "cooling off" period for yourselves and key staff.
But you've got one more shot to make things better. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, has a task force out there led by Michael Capuano, D-MA, to study whether the House should have some independent ethics oversight.
If the abuses of lobbyist Jack Abramoff and former Reps. Tom DeLay (R-Indicted), Mark Foley (R-Disgraced), Robert Ney and "Duke" Cunningham (R-Jail) aren't enough, certainly the veiled threats from Rep. John Murtha on the House floor and the abuses the feds gave us in 90-plus pages of indictment against "Dollar Bill" should be enough to end the charade in the House.
It certainly might help you regain some kind of credibility after you claimed you would end the war in Iraq, only to fold your tent when the White House refused to give in.
Putting some form of independent ethics oversight in place in the House would be a good first step toward stopping these and other abuses. If it had been in place then, people can stop these types of shakedowns like the one Jefferson is accused of.
The House needs some strong, independent ethics oversight. Now is the time. You have the opportunity, Nancy Pelosi and Mike Capuano. Do the right thing, and do it now.
Tags: ethics in government, william jefferson, michael capuano, nancy pelosi, mark foley, bob ney, jack murtha (all tags)
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