Missing the Points

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May 29, 2005

Missing the Points

Oh, the hand-wringing, from the Governor on down, over the idea that we need "new" or "better" or "more effective" ethics laws so that we can prevent scandals like the "Tennessee Waltz" sting.

Make no mistake -- I am for improving our ethics laws. But as has been pointed out by several, the alleged activities undertaken by the "Waltzers" were sufficiently prohibited by law. Conspiracy, bribery, corruption -- these are not in some ethical grey area that needs codification.

Another point that is missed, by some, in its entirety is that there surely have been "bigger and badder" things going down than just the E-cycle contributions to HB37 and its Senate companion. Remember, the sting was set up because of "complaints" about corruption in the General Assembly. I like to hold out for the possibility of the unlikely, but there's a pretty slim chance that lawmakers only took money when it was offered to them by undercover agents. Rather, it seems that some of the accused were operating a fairly worn-in negotiation and delivery system. The dollar amounts in this sting are themselves telling: they're not even chicken feed. (I used to help raise chickens. My observations of them tell me that if one put out proper grain-based feed every day for a couple of weeks, then one day walked out with cat litter and scattered it or dumped it in a feeder, the chickens would begin gobbling up bits of cat litter, out of pure habit.)

Finally, perhaps the largest, most obvious, and most painful point that has been missed is the recurring one (every 2 or 4 years) that has been abjectly ignored by tens (if not hundreds) of voters: several of the people we have repeatedly re-elected to major office in state government are crooks and liars whose names are often printed alone on the ballots for their seats. I'm glad the 2005 session has ended. I don't think I could have stood by much longer while some of these (and yet-unknown others) continued to participate in making laws and passing budgets that affect me, and you, and all Tennesseans, while knowing that they are, at the very least, facing some intense criminal charges.

So, you're welcome, for getting your missing points filled in. Have a nice day.

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