Posted by gurusmom on Sun, Jun 6, 2010, at 12:27 AM:
Has anyone else read about this?
Excerpts: A resolution introduced late last week by Representative Marcia L. Fudge, ... and co-sponsored by 19 other black caucus members, would prohibit the release of most investigative reports prepared by the Office of Congressional Ethics. It would also prevent the office from initiating its own inquiries, unless a sworn complaint was filed by an individual with personal knowledge of the alleged wrongdoing.
Outside watchdog groups, which in 2008 pressured House leaders to create the office after a series of Capitol Hill scandals, called the proposal a cynical attempt to effectively shut down what has already become an important new ethics cop in Washington.
"This will gut and render impotent the Office of Congressional Ethics," said Norman J. Ornstein, an ethics expert at the American Enterprise Institute who lobbied for the creation of the office two years ago. "It is a pretty good working definition of chutzpah."
*Does anyone else think that elimination of ethical investigations within our federal government is a good idea? My opinion ... unbelievable ... even with the fact that most of the investigations the Black Caucus was upset about were dismissed, it still seems that any questionable incidents should definitely be investigated. It just might be that OCE could be one of the few departments in our government that is necessary ...
Kind of waiting for this to be cited as a 'racial' issue by Rep. Fudge, if it hasn't been already. Didn't one administration push for the Black Caucus to be abolished? Whatever happened to that sensible idea? Um ... oh, never mind. We must continue to be a nation divided when it comes to 'race.'
-- Posted by gurusmom on Sun, Jun 6, 2010, at 12:28 AM
Mom,
What does the White Caucus have to say about this?
-- Posted by Have_Wheels_Will_Travel on Sun, Jun 6, 2010, at 12:34 AM
Some dang virus or bug has attacked my computer tonight and I haven't been anywhere except at home minding my own business.
-- Posted by voyager on Sun, Jun 6, 2010, at 1:11 AM
Voyager,
Download a copy of Malwarebytes. It is good at removing that kind of thing and if you get to their official site you can get a free download. They also sell a more comprehensive version, but you should not need that. Be careful of the sites that will try to sell you a copy and get to the official site, I think www.malwarebytes.com
-- Posted by Have_Wheels_Will_Travel on Sun, Jun 6, 2010, at 11:21 AM
I think we had an "Uncle Fudge" in the family once.
James' humor may be based in more truth than one would think.
-- Posted by Old John on Sun, Jun 6, 2010, at 4:52 PM
White Caucus? Why, Wheels! That's definitely a racist concept! Shame on you.
Well anyway ... What this country needs is less attention paid to unethical conduct from our leaders!
So ... guessing maybe this resolution might pass, since the behavior of those who might at some point in time be questioned as to their ethics will be the ones voting on it?
Darn, I never had any employer who allowed the employees to make the rules.
-- Posted by gurusmom on Sun, Jun 6, 2010, at 5:32 PM
No White Caucus??? I am so disenchanted!
Next question.... Why is the Black Caucus so worried about an ethics bill?
They are all ethical people are they not?
Sorry that was two questions.
-- Posted by Have_Wheels_Will_Travel on Sun, Jun 6, 2010, at 5:54 PM
no comment
-- Posted by Skeptic1 on Sun, Jun 6, 2010, at 9:36 PM
I believe, if memory serves, that point was mentioned when congress took up the idea of eliminating the Black Caucus ...
We HAVE to have the BC ... and the black colleges and the Black Miss America and the NAACP (NAAAA) ... if we didn't ... we'd all be on our own to make our own way through life ... or not. Tremendous amounts of money would be lost, and important positions would disappear.
The very idea of true, honest and fair-to-everyone racial equality is ... well, shoot ... un-American.
-- Posted by gurusmom on Mon, Jun 7, 2010, at 7:40 PM
What about the Pink Caucus, only women, or the Tan Caucus, for Hispanics, or the Green Caucus, just for bugs, or any other Caucus? Do they have an opinion?
-- Posted by non-biasedphilosopher on Mon, Jun 7, 2010, at 10:45 PM
Thanks for the link, Leo. Hard for me to understand, though, how it was determined that some of the cases they reviewed were 'ethical.'
It mentions that the OCE is a 'newly created' department, with "The point of creating an outside watchdog was to prevent the ethics committee from sweeping things under the rug; all those on the committee are members of Congress. The panel is too often inclined not only to dismiss a complaint but to do so quietly, without airing the evidence. Lawmakers are understandably concerned that the ethics process not be used to tar them unfairly, providing fodder for attack ads in the next election, but there is also a public interest in full disclosure and robust enforcement." ... so was this done by Obama's administration?
If so ... What was he thinking? ~winking~ IMO? I think any government 'ethics' department should under the control of average American citizens ... Betting there are many of us who would gladly take on that responsibility without pay even.
-- Posted by gurusmom on Tue, Jun 8, 2010, at 12:11 AM
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Has anyone else read about this?
Excerpts: A resolution introduced late last week by Representative Marcia L. Fudge, ... and co-sponsored by 19 other black caucus members, would prohibit the release of most investigative reports prepared by the Office of Congressional Ethics. It would also prevent the office from initiating its own inquiries, unless a sworn complaint was filed by an individual with personal knowledge of the alleged wrongdoing.
Outside watchdog groups, which in 2008 pressured House leaders to create the office after a series of Capitol Hill scandals, called the proposal a cynical attempt to effectively shut down what has already become an important new ethics cop in Washington.
"This will gut and render impotent the Office of Congressional Ethics," said Norman J. Ornstein, an ethics expert at the American Enterprise Institute who lobbied for the creation of the office two years ago. "It is a pretty good working definition of chutzpah."
*Does anyone else think that elimination of ethical investigations within our federal government is a good idea? My opinion ... unbelievable ... even with the fact that most of the investigations the Black Caucus was upset about were dismissed, it still seems that any questionable incidents should definitely be investigated. It just might be that OCE could be one of the few departments in our government that is necessary ...
Kind of waiting for this to be cited as a 'racial' issue by Rep. Fudge, if it hasn't been already. Didn't one administration push for the Black Caucus to be abolished? Whatever happened to that sensible idea? Um ... oh, never mind. We must continue to be a nation divided when it comes to 'race.'
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