The Idea Mag - Issue 21 - October 9th, 2005 - Front Page

AbsoluteOpinion

DeLayed Ethics

[Bobby takes a break this week - so here's a reprint that's also current.]

With the recent accusations against Tom DeLay concerning unethical practices, I began to search for information about what he had actually done. As is often the case, there was much conflicting opinion, with some claiming he had broken the law, others claiming he is unethical, and yet others claiming an attack from the left. I cannot seem to figure out exactly what has happened, but neither can anyone else since some are trying to organize an “ethics” committee to find out the truth. Because of this, I want to look briefly at what ethics is, and what should be done if there is a breach.

Ethics is the study of right and wrong – what is moral and what is not. However, when we refer to ethics today, many times we are talking about things that are right and wrong but not governed by the law. Of course, anything that is illegal is generally regarded as unethical so the overlap is obvious. Many tax loopholes fall under the category of unethical as they are “technically” legal but require some broad descriptions or vague definitions.

Why are ethics important? Ethics are important for several reasons. One reason is that laws do not cover every aspect of life. It would be impossible for congress to legislate concise laws for every detail in a reasonable amount of time. This is where the “spirit” of the law comes in, which is essentially ethics. Another reason is that in a society of laws but no ethics, people will spend their time looking for ways around laws (and this does happen).

So how should we deal with ethical issues? What do we do if a government official is raising money in an unethical manner? The most important thing to remember is that ethics should be dealt with consistently. There needs to be a standard or a committee that will at least attempt to deal with issues objectively. They will also examine everyone equally so that they do not single out a specific person or attempt to carry out an agenda.

When it comes to Tom DeLay, I do not know the details and I cannot get a concurring opinion on anything it seems. At the same time, I can say some things about the situation. First, there needs to be a committee to evaluate the accusations. From what I know, this has been tried but some of the opposition (in this case it happens to be democrats) will not allow it. Why not? Why don’t they want the truth to come out? I at least commend DeLay for supporting the formation of the committee, even if he is guilty of something.

Secondly, this committee should make sure that others in congress are not keeping their families on payroll or flying on interest group money. If no one else is doing the same things, then Tom DeLay should be inspected and a proper punishment should be given. If others are being as unethical as Delay, then ALL should be reprimanded. Even though I am conservative and have not had any problems with DeLay’s agenda, I am sick of politicians being unethical. I am tired of having to excuse away the behavior of those who should be model citizens in ALL areas of life, not just public ones (so there is no doubt, that WAS a reference to Mr. Clinton).