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LA’s image

The Baton Rouge newspaper appears to have been following LA politics too long. Instead of suggesting doing things right, it offers political solutions. That is, or those who believe that merely passing more laws will actually change our image.

Here is an excerpt from Sunday’s editorial about the need for stronger ethics laws for state leges while giving a pass of sorts to local officials in LA:

Perhaps there is a way to mandate that local governments develop disclosure [of sources of income] standards at least as thorough as those in state law by a certain date.

Mandating that the locals develop standards as thorough as those in state law is redundant. There is nothing currently to preclude local governments from adopting tougher standards of ethics than is required by the existing state law. Such a move would serve only to provide a hodgepodge of laws for which enforcement would be even more difficult.

If the matter of income disclosure for leges is so important to improving our image, then it stands to reason that adding the local lawmakers would make our image even better. To offer such a political cop-out proves nothing other than the LA leges are exactly what our current image suggests.

Enforce the law

It’s just one man’s opinion, but passing more ethics laws isn’t going to change the image of LA. Actually enforcing the existing laws (which apply at the state and local level) we have on the books is the way to make LA look better in the eyes of the nation.

Aristotle said it best: “Good laws, if they are not obeyed, do not constitute good government.”

Easy vs. right

Doing things the political (and easy) way is seldom the right way.

Doing things the political way is why LA has the image that it does. If we are going to change our image, let’s start doing things the RIGHT way.

Darconville said: “Politics without ethics is anarchy masquerading as liberty.”

To The Advocate: Leave the politics to the politicians.

C.B.