Against the Whole Thing

It's refreshing when an elected official attacks government ethics head-on. This is what Tennessee state representative Willie "Butch" Borchert did in an impromptu speech yesterday, according to an Associated Press report.

He wants to do away with the state ethics commission altogether, arguing that it isn't necessary since the Tennessee Waltz sting operation was successful and that the state can't afford the $900,000 it spends on the ethics commission (only $379,000 is spent, according to the EC's executive director).

"I'm against the whole thing, and I don't care who knows it," Borchert is quoted as saying.