Ted Stevens, Republican Icon

Alaska Senator Ted Stevens was just indicted, and it is pretty hard to see how he’s going to avoid jail time. If this surprises you even a little, you don’t know the career of Senator Stevens, the longest-serving Republican in the Senate, and a Machiavellian to the core.

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Ethics Priorities in the News: Balancing Utilitarianism and Absolutism

As a general rule, the United States has a utilitarian outlook and culture. We accept (well, most of us) the unequal distribution of wealth that results from capitalism because the system promotes maximum effort, competition, wealth and productivity. We embrace (again, most of us) a majority-rules approach to government despite its marginalization of minority views, because it seems to work better than the alternatives. But utilitarian systems can be dangerous unless they are limited by some absolutes, and these are provided by the Constitution. Absolutism means no exceptions, and when an absolute principle of U.S. law stops us from taking an action that seems wise, just and necessary, critics and pundits scream. But absolutism itself, ironically, serves utilitarian ends in such situations. It protects the integrity of the laws, and avoids an erratic situational system that would provide little certainty or guidance. Three recent situations illustrate a point that has many variations and degrees.

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The Flat Ethical Learning Curve of Congressional Republicans

Will the Democrats, when they take over-whelming control of both houses of Congress this fall, resolve to avoid developing the arrogant and unethical culture that marked the disgraceful reign of the Republicans? Almost certainly not, because what is respected in today's Washington is success and power, not principle or values. But that's okay: the Republicans' defeat will teach make them realize that their fall was not dictated by the war in Iraq, gas taxes and the credit crunch, but by their abandonment of honesty and trustworthiness. Right?

Naaah. In fact, the GOP is as invested in Tom DeLay-Bill Frist flim-flam as ever. The party may go down, but it will go down slimy to the end. All evidence indicates that when it comes to ethics, Congressional Republicans have a learning curve as flat as a pancake.

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