What would you include in a congressional ethics reform bill?Just a couple ideas, Jack: Sense. You can't mandate common sense. How about term limits, no earmarks and how about the outright abolishment of lobbyist?
-Laurie, Manchester, New Hampshire
Ethics reform is meaningless if it does not include very severe penalties for breaking the law. It is really a shame that so many politicians have to be told what is ethical and what is not... Maybe the Chinese have the right idea, if they convict a crooked politician, they shoot him. That certainly delivers a message.
-Harold, Anchorage, Alaska "Congressional" and "ethics" in the same sentence? Is an ethics bill possible? Or would they all simply find absurd ways around any law? All representatives these days represent themselves first, business second, special interests next. Representing the "people" is unheard of.
-Jon, San Ramon, California
Jack, Ethics reform begins with term reform. So: Term limits. 1 term. No more raising money on Day 1 of the new term! No exceptions.
-Steve, Port Orchard, WashingtonWhat does it say about the state of Iraq if almost a third of the population is without water, sanitation, food and shelter?What it says, pure and simple, is that the average Iraqi would have been far better off if we had stayed home.
-Dave, WisconsinIraq has been a better country during Saddam's regime (a murderer and every other name you can give him). And now that the U.S.-backed regime is in place, they are not doing anything better at all (torture, murder, poverty). It's just getting worse ever since that U.S. invasion and I don't expect it to be better any time soon.
-Lazar, AlgeriaIt tells me that they are paying the price for not taking advantage of the freedoms that we offered to them when we invaded their benighted country and overthrew their dictator. They had the chance to rally behind the American banner and work toward enlightened, Western prosperity. Did they take that opportunity? Nope! They preferred to engage in idiotic religious and sectarian squabbling. They failed to avail themselves of opportunity and now they reap the results of that bad decision. T'hell with 'em!!
-John, Riverton, WyomingAnd George Bush wonders why the Iraqi people are not saying, "Thank you, thank you for invading our country."
-A.
