Ethics proposal widely panned

[L. Coyote]

Ethics proposal widely panned
John Bresnahan - Mar 6, 2008 - http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0308/8872.html


The House is preparing to vote as soon as Thursday on the biggest change in congressional ethics rules in more than a decade, but new questions have been raised on whether the Office of Congressional Ethics will have any effect at all on lawmakers and staffers until 2009 at the earliest.

Under the Democrats’ proposal to create the new office, there will essentially be only a two-month window this summer — July and August — when the OCE could begin an investigation.

According to a draft copy of the resolution that would establish the OCE, the office is specifically prevented from taking up any case “before 120 days after the date of the adoption of this resolution.”

Additionally, the OCE cannot begin an investigation in the two-month period leading up to Election Day, which is Nov. 4.

And even after that, any investigation begun by OCE must be sent on to the House ethics committee for final action ............

[pleah]

1. Is this just a big waste of money and time, or am I missing somethin?

[Warpy]

3. It looks like a feel good proposal that doesn't have a chance

to make a dent in the huge ethics problems in Congress because of its incredibly short duration.

I wonder whose idea the time limit was. That person should be first on the list to be investigated.

[L. Coyote]

4. once the limits pass, they can work al they want, and the election limit kicks in every two years

before the election, when they cannot initiate a new investigation.

[panader0]

2. My ethics proposal: Tell the truth

Pretty simple. "Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceieve."
We all are human/make mistakes. I have respect for those who admit it.

[L. Coyote]

5. I'll kick that idea once.