I REALIZE I AM POSTING MUCH MORE LOCAL MATERIAL THAT DOESN'T GET THE ATTENTION OR THE COMMENTS THAT NATIONAL MATERIAL DOES, BUT THIS ISSUE IS A PerFECT PICTURE OF WHY THE TEA PARTY MOVEMENT EXISTS. THIS IS PURE CORRUPTION BY A REPUBLICAN GOVERNMENT. I AM WORKING TO CHANGE THAT FROM THE INSIDE AS I FEEL IT IS THE BEST CHOICE FOR HOW THIS STATE'S ELECTION LAWS AER SET UP. SO PLEASE UNDER STAND THAT I HAVE VERY IMPORTANT REASONS FOR GOING THIS DIRECTION THAT WILL HOPEFULY BE REVEALED WITHN THE NEXT WEEK. IN THIS POST, I WILL COLOR MY COMMENTS IN GREEN AS USUAL AND THE VERY IMPORTANT PARTS IN RED.
LATOUR LAFFERTY: PUT MORE BITE INTO FLORIDA'S PUBLIC ETHICS LAWS
The answer to Florida’s public corruption crisis can be found in a stronger and more vigilant Florida Commission on Ethics.
Gov. Charlie Crist recently asked the Florida Supreme Court to empanel a statewide grand jury to investigate public corruption, citing the “unconscionable violations of the public trust by public officials” and noting that he had removed more than 30 public officials from office during his three years in office, about one official for every month he had spent in office.
The U.S. Supreme Court is also evaluating the constitutionality of the federal “right of honest services” statute, which is widely used to prosecute state and local public officials when their ethical breaches rise to the level of criminal offenses.
Florida’s public ethics watchdog agency recently asked the Senate to consider legislative reforms increasing its jurisdiction to investigate breaches of the Florida Code of Ethics for public officials, including the right to initiate its own investigations rather than waiting for a formal complaint to be filed, lessening the burden of proof from clear and convincing evidence to a preponderance of the evidence and increasing the maximum fine from $10,000 to $100,000.
So, Crist can have anyone he wants prosecuted, but there is no way to investigate him without him being investigated. Gee...do ya see some opportunity for corruption in our Republican led state government there?????
The commission annually submits similar legislative proposals, which often fall on deaf ears. However, the current public corruption crisis should be cause for greater consideration. As more politicians are investigated or accused of public corruption, the need for a stronger and more vigilant Ethics Commission becomes clearer. So these folks that are charged with investigating corruption see corruption all the time and cant do squat unless Crist and the Legislature say so.
So bottom line, if ya pay yer dues, you can play around on the side with taxpayer money and you are protected by a retarded law that handcuffs the the legal system regarding the most corrupt segment of society, right?
In a 1982 Atlantic Monthly article, two sociologists put forth the “broken windows” theory of combating crime in urban areas — the idea being that addressing small problems quickly can prevent them from escalating into bigger problems, causing respectable citizens to flee urban neighborhoods.
When you don't treat a tiny tumor, what does it do????
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani made this theory famous during the 1990s, calling it “quality of life.”
A stronger and more vigilant Ethics Commission could prevent ethical lapses from escalating into full-blown public corruption offenses, and could restore the public’s trust and confidence in the ethical leadership of our public servants. The foundation of all public corruption and, indeed, all white-collar crime, is simply a lack of ethics.
And how much did crime rates drop in NYC when Giuliani was mayor????? Is it possible because before the NYC government cleanup, people wouldn't report a crime because it was likely a friend of the cops that were responsible.
I left two paragraphs of bovine scatology out as not to waste your time!
We should expect our public officials to adhere to their Code of Ethics, and we should empower the Ethics Commission to vigilantly defend those expectations. Our public officials should embrace this vigilance as it will help them avoid the slippery slope that results when a mere lapse in ethical judgment escalates to a chargeable offense. Crises are great opportunities, but only if we have a vision for a better future, and quality of life.
EXACTLY!!!!! (and we wondered why he and Obama got along so well!!!)
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