Summary of WASHINGTON POST, “The District Must Redefine Its Morality”, metro section, 8/10/03 by Courtland Milloy:
Mr. Milloy sites many examples stating that the ethical decisions of the DC government “is not good, to put it mildly”. Schools fail to follow court orders, government workers taking bribes for fixing tickets, the president of a local university hiring friends and that’s just from 1 week of headlines. “Neglect, theft and even the appearance of impropriety are nothing new.” During a recent city audit, $60,000 was spent at supermarkets and another $60,000 on flowers and balloons, and so city officials are asked to cut up their credit cards. “You could almost hear the cries from Congress wondering what kind of government worker needs to be ‘retrained’ on how not to steal.”
Lest you think that DC’s problems are unique, be assured that the 50 largest cities in the USA are equally following the example set by our nation’s capitol.
Stuart Gilman, president of the Washington based Ethics Resource Center states that all of the above examples “create an appearance that undermines the citizens’ trust. And once you lose their trust, it becomes nearly impossible to govern.”