December 20, 2005

Today's Reading List

The War: Amir Taheri analyzes our progress in Iraq.

Since March 2003 the US and its allies have achieved all their political objectives - starting with regime change, the dismantling of the Baathist military and security machine, the capture of most Baathist leaders, the writing and approval of a new constitution, a series of elections and, within the next few weeks, the formation of a newly elected government in Baghdad.

Mike Stokely didn't die for a just cause, he died for a lot of just causes, including the ones I set out above. I wish I were fit to tie his shoe laces but I am fortunate enough to have a son who believed in God, family, duty, honor and country and who certainly turned out to be the better of the two of us.

Politics: Some Tennessee legislators urge Deputy Gov. Dave Cooley, implicated in the promotions-for-political contributions scandal at the Tennessee Highway Patrol, to resign. Story in The Tennessean. Meanwhile, Cooley's boss has called the legislature into a special session to consider new "ethics reform" legislation. The story provides information about bipartisan ethics reform legislation that the legislature will consider, and quotes Nashville blogger Blake Wylie:

Even when the bipartisan bill was signed off on by the leaders of both parties last month, some legislators - and citizens who watch the legislature - were not satisfied. "From what I saw that the ethics panel recommended, this bill is so full of loopholes, it might as well have been written on Swiss cheese," said Blake Wylie, who runs a blog on his Web site NashvilleFiles.com, and who monitored the debates last month that led to the bipartisan ethics bill. "I see nothing that's going to change the business as usual going on at the state Capitol."

One loophole includes exceptions on lobbyists' wining and dining lawmakers. Another is the lack of a ban on lawmakers' voting on legislation that could benefit their own businesses.

The Center for Public Integrity regularly ranks Tennessee's legislature low on the integrity scale for a variety of reasons, including the high number of its members who sit on committees that regulate their own businesses or professions, a blatant conflict-of-interest that is ripe for abuse and corruption.

Three years ago, I wrote an op-ed, published in December 2002 in the Memphis Commercial Appeal and in January 2003 in The Tennessean about how the low-trust factor affected the debate over the proposed state income tax. It's no longer online, but you can read The Tennessean version here PDF file, and the Memphis version here thanks to the miracle of blogging.

UPDATE: Bob Krumm reminds us of the real reason the governor delayed a special session on ethics reform for eight months after a pack of lawmakers were arrested for accepting cash bribes from lobbyists.

More Politics: Adam Groves is keeping watch on the investigation into vote fraud that affected a special state Senate election in Memphis, and explores why retired former U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Sr. is meddling in the investigation.