Daughtrey on New Ethics Legislation and Semi-honesty

For all the self-congratulatory hubbub going on at Capitol Hill, you might believe the General Assembly has finally decided to polish up an image that ranks somewhat south of used car salesmen and Tom DeLay. -- Larry Daughtrey


Larry Daughtrey has an excellent column in today's Tennessean about the new improved ethics legislation. Daughtrey explains very well why I and many others have not been able to summon any enthusiasm over the General Assembly's latest jab at policing themselves.

You should read the whole column, but here are a couple of my favorite passages:

For all the self-congratulatory hubbub going on at Capitol Hill, you might believe the General Assembly has finally decided to polish up an image that ranks somewhat south of used car salesmen and Tom DeLay.

The Senate, maybe, is scheduled to put the finishing touches tomorrow on the centerpiece ''ethics'' bill of this year's session. The House finished it Thursday but not after a lot of moaning about how it will ensnare ''honest and semi-honest politicians,'' not the really bad guys.

In a legislature which seems to care little about the rights of gays, immigrants, college students and the uninsured, it was refreshing to hear concerns about the rights of someone, even the semi-honest politicians among us.

and:

In the first quarter of this year, the state Republican Party received $317,000 for its usual operational expenses, which include trying to elect a GOP majority in the legislature. Of that money, $240,000 came from drug company millionaire John Gregory, $45,000 came from Sen. Bill Frist's political action committee, and $15,000 came from Pilot Oil mogul Jim Haslam.

If there is anything illegal about that, call the cop on the motorcycle. The state doesn't have any enforcement mechanism.

The new ethics bill may be a step, but it is only that. We're still stuck with a system that is semi-honest.