Shocking! Simply Shocking!

“Shocking! Simply shocking to find gambling going on here! I order this establishment closed until further notice.” Taken out of context the statement would lead the uninformed to assume the character speaking is a proponent of law and order. Nothing could be further from the truth. The line uttered by the famously corrupt Captain Renault, before accepting his kickback for allowing said gambling. Today news sources, including both The Washington Post and The New York Times, are reporting the Republican Party is considering a rule change to allow indicted party leaders to continue to hold leadership positions.

Yes, the moral voters have spoken and they chose a party where one of the top leaders may soon face numerous indictments regarding state election fraud. Mr. Tom Delay is currently under investigation by state authorities directing illegal campaign contributions to state legislatures. These races allowed Mr. Delay to then gerrymander new congressional districts within the state. In turn, he helped defeat four incumbent Democrats and enabled the Republican Party to gain seats in the House during the recent election. Alas, all might be for naught. A federal court has recently ruled the new districts illegal and directed a lower court to redraw the districts before the next election.

The rule originated to embarrass another Texas politician, Jim Wright. Then-Speaker Wright was under investigation for accepting illegal contributions via book deals. The party of “moral values” adopted the rule rightly because they were in the minority and never envisioned the possibility they too would have the chance to be equally corrupt. It now appears as if two of the men instrumental in the downfall of Speaker Wright will have sacrificed themselves on the rules they helped implement.

I am not arguing that the Republican Party should revoke their rule regarding ethics and governance. Instead, both parties should adopt and enforce the rule on all their elected officials. The parties argue political motivation may lead to bogus indictments. Cases regarding election fraud deserve special attention. If innocent of the pending indictment the official would be cleared and able to resume their former post. If guilty the official should have stepped down regardless.

As things were in Casablanca, they are in Washington today. Corruption exists everywhere and our officials should guard against it. Enforce ethics rules uniformly, without regard for party leadership. The appearance of impropriety must be avoided.