Jindal: Deadbeat Dad of Ethics Reform
Marsha Shuler’s article today in the advocate wonders where Bobby Jindal is when it comes to his call for ethics reform.
[Jindal] told national Republicans about how things have changed in Louisiana in just the past four months.
But back home, legislators are struggling to fix the flaws in those laws, largely without any help from Jindal.
With canned statements from Melissa Sellers and Jindal happily embracing the national media attention he has gotten for supposedly being on the “short list”, Jindal hardly has time to take care of the ethics reform he used to “care” so much for. (Of course, those of us who have paid attention know that Jindal really did not care about any meaningful ethics reform.)
May 30th, 2008 at 10:47 am
I still say that all of this ethics reform, even if it results in “good” laws, is mere window dressing.
The budget will tell the tale on ethics reform. The best way to get better ethics would be to increase the investigative and prosecutorial budgets for the Office of the Inspector General and the Ethics Commission. I think increasing the OIG’s budget, along with giving the office independence and holding its feet to the fire, will accomplish much more than the legislature ever can.
A poor law vigorously and evenly enforced will still deter bad behavior more than a “good” law that is ignored or enforced selectively.
Unfortunately, my day job keeps me from doing much in-depth analysis on the budget.
May 30th, 2008 at 11:12 am
“I still say that all of this ethics reform, even if it results in “good” laws, is mere window dressing. ”
Absolutely!