Today's big story comes to us from Cook County, Illinois, and although
it's about whether a government lawyer has a conflict of interest, the
matter falls into the area of government ethics in which Chicago
and Cook County have led the way for decades: patronage.<br>
<br>
Here's the situation. An assistant Cook County state's attorney defends
the county against charges of patronage. This suit, part of a series
originally filed in 1969, recently was settled, with $3.2 million being

According to a lawsuit filed yesterday in Alaska by five Republican
lawmakers to halt an investigation into Gov. Palin's dismissal of the
state's public safety commissioner, elected politicians cannot
investigate the actions of other elected politicians if they have a
political bias, such as giving a campaign contribution to their party's
presidential candidate.<br>

In Arcata, California, according to <a href="http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_10476440">an article
in yesterday's </a><span><a href="http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_10476440">Times-Standard</a&…;,
</span>there is a policy to review the city's conflict of interest code

Is it a conflict of interest for local government officials to give themselves
perks such as luxury boxes at sports stadiums, where they can not only
entertain dignitaries in their government roles, which few would
contest, but also their friends and contributors in their roles as
person or candidate?<br>

When U.S. presidents, or even mayors, are brought down by ethics
violations, it takes some pretty hefty skullduggery and covering up to
do it. But according to <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0910/p01s02-woap.html&quot; target="”_blank”">a Christian
Science Monitor article this week</a>, with the great title "As a TV
chef, Thai P.M. cooked his own goose," Thailand's Constitutional Court

It is rare for the news media to look at government ethics any more
deeply than a particular scandal, usually one involving law-breaking,
money, sex, or a public argument between parties or within a party. The
vice-presidential nomination of Sarah Palin has led to the most
in-depth look at government ethics for a long time.<br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/us/politics/14palin.html&quot; target="”_blank”">An

<h1>Ethics office budget stirs city turmoil</h1>
<h3>Confusion over an increase has raised eyebrows
and questions.</h3><br>
<b>By DAVID HUNT, The Times-Union</b><br>
<p>In Mayor John Peyton's proposed budget, it looked like the city ethics office
stood to receive a 70 percent boost.</p><br>
<img alt="" src="files/2008-08-09-TU-Article.jpg">
<br><b>Photo: BRUCE LIPSKY/The Times-Union</b>

Local governments may only be accountable to their citizens, but they also have
fiduciary duties to those who invest in their
bonds.<br>
<br>
Many local governments don't act like they do, however." In <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/business/31gret.html&quot; target="”_blank”">Gretchen

It's great to read newspaper commentary that shows an understanding
of how an unethical organization acts, in this case, the effects of its employment of denial. Scott Lewis,
voiceofsandiego.org's Executive Editor and political commentator, did
this in <a href="http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/articles/2008/08/25/columnists/scott_lew…; target="”_blank”">a
column</a> this week.<br>

It was exciting to see someone who made her reputation as a government ethics advocate
named to the Republican ticket. But it was very troubling to read how
she handled a recent revolving door matter.<br>