Category Archives: Ethics

Yi Hang-no on Good Government

Posted on May 5, 2023 by whungerford

In “Korea’s Place in the Sun,” a history by Bruce Cumings, Cumings quotes Confucian scholar Yi Hang-no, who wrote in 1866: If from now on the King starts by rising early and going to bed late, and if the ministers … Continue reading →

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Insider Trading

Posted on April 25, 2023 by whungerford

S.2038 – STOCK Act 112th Congress CRS Summary (Excerpts, read the whole thing here.) Public Law No: 112-105 (04/04/2012) Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act of 2012 or STOCK Act – (Sec. 3) Requires the congressional ethics committees to issue interpretive guidance … Continue reading →

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Reed, Sempolinski, Langworthy

Posted on January 23, 2023 by whungerford

 A Member . . . [or an] officer, or employee of the House [paid at or above the “senior staff” rate], may not –(d)  serve for compensation as an officer or member of the board of an association, corporation, or other entity; —House Rule … Continue reading →

Posted in Congress, Economics, Environmental, Ethics, Legislation, Political | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

House Rules

Posted on January 7, 2023 by whungerford

I would rather be right than President–Henry Clay In an article in The Hill, Jonathan Turley, Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University, discusses expected changes to the rules of the House. He says he doesn’t favor … Continue reading →

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Regarding Rep. Madison Cawthorn

Posted on December 6, 2022 by whungerford

House Ethics Committee Report: As the ISC (Ethics Committee Investigative Subcommittee) Report notes, Members are widely recognizable public servants, and their participation in commercial endorsements or promotions may create the perception that they are making use of their official position … Continue reading →

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Tom Reed’s staff got remarkably lucky

Posted on September 25, 2022 by whungerford

Tom Reed’s staff got remarkably lucky during his last years in office: Staff Member 2019 Salary Increase 2020 Salary Increase 2021 Salary Joe Rizzo — — $105.108 65% $173,900 Sharon Murphy $45,322 15% $51,438 20% $61,568 Tom Hyland $38,450 35% … Continue reading →

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The Sordid Story of Spiro Agnew’s Crimes

Posted on September 3, 2022 by whungerford

If any of this sounds familiar, it’s because history really is here to help. — “Bagman,” page 19 If I leave this office without enemies, I will not have done the job properly. I think that the public has to … Continue reading →

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Chris Churchill on Gerrymandering

Posted on March 22, 2022 by whungerford

Writing for The Times Union, Chris Churchill makes these points: Republicans and Democrats both do it. There is nothing new about it. The worst examples of gerrymandering are fundamentally unethical. What Democrats have done on the state level can only … Continue reading →

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How to restart the economy?

Posted on April 12, 2020 by whungerford

How to restart the economy? First it has never been stopped. The measures we have adopted are intended to slow the spread of the virus, not to defeat it. We don’t have the will to adopt the more extreme measures … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Ethics, Trump | Tagged | 24 Comments

How do crimes go unpunished?

Posted on August 25, 2018 by whungerford

Let others wallow in Watergate, we are going to do our job.”–Richard Nixon, July, 1973 We don’t pay taxes; only the little people pay taxes.–Leona Helmsley I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters, OK?–Donald … Continue reading →

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