<b>Gift Bans</b><br>
<a href="http://mdjonline.com/view/full_story/19508857/article-Lobby-Hobby---Wha…-?instance=lead_story_left_column" target="”_blank”">In
Sunday's Marietta (GA) <i>Daily Journal</i></a>, former state
representative Roger Hines wrote a column with the title "What Does

<a href="http://www.cityethics.org/content/dealing-potential-conflicts-involved-…; target="”_blank”">I've
written recently about</a> the propriety of the new chair of D.C.'s ethics
commission practicing in matters that involve the city government.
In that case, there was an appearance, based on the chair's own
website, that he was seeking benefits for his clients from the council and certain

According to <a href="http://www.nj.com/newsflash/index.ssf/story/fbi-raids-homes-of-nj-mayor…; target="”_blank”">an
article in the <i>Times of Trenton</i> yesterday</a>, the FBI raided the
homes of Trenton's mayor, as well as the homes of his brother and a
major campaign contributor.<br>
<br>

It's amazing how much local government ethics activity there is in
this July. Here is a miscellany of issues that have arisen
in just the last few days.<br>
<br>

<br><b>Moral Capital</b><br>
In his book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Righteous-Mind-Divided-Politics-Religion/dp/03073…; target="”_blank”"><i>The Righteous Mind</a></i>: <i>Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and
Religion</i> (Pantheon, 2012), Jonathan Haidt discusses what he calls "moral capital," that is, "the

It is common for councils to engage in backsliding shortly after
creating or improving a government ethics program. When there has been a
scandal, councils often go further than they would like to go in
establishing ethics rules and procedures. When attention to ethics
matters has lessened, it often seems to be a good time to make the
program more what council members would like, and this almost always
means two things:  (1) making it easier for them to accept
gifts and (2) making it harder for citizens to file ethics

Government ethics is naturally focused on the selfish aspects of
people's conduct, the aspects that make them provide special benefits to themselves, those
who help them, and those to whom they feel special obligations. But as Jonathan Haidt argues in his book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Righteous-Mind-Divided-Politics-Religion/dp/03073…; target="”_blank”"><i>The

<br>Jonathan Haidt in his book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Righteous-Mind-Divided-Politics-Religion/dp/03073…; target="”_blank”"><i>The

<b>Moral Disgust</b><br>
In his book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Righteous-Mind-Divided-Politics-Religion/dp/03073…; target="”_blank”"><i>The

There is a serious controversy going on right now in Jacksonville
regarding the transparency of text messages by local
government officials concerning government business. This is an issue
where most governments have failed to keep up with technology. That's
common, of course. But from a government ethics point of view, what
is most important is how the issue is approached.<br>
<br>
Florida, which is known for its good sunshine laws, dealt with the issue