A Contradiction Of Terms
When you hear the phrase “honest politician” what do you think of? Do words like integrity, trustworthy or honorable come to mind or do words like self-serving, unscrupulous and dishonest rise to the top of the list? Should the phrase be taken at face value or is it an oxymoron? When I think of oxymorons I tend to think of the ones that make me laugh. Cheerleading scholarship, assistant supervisor, wedded bliss, United Nations, and stable woman really tickle my funny bone. For some reason my wife doesn’t see the humor in a couple of those on the list… but I digress. However, I see no humor in the words honest politician. People just don’t trust politicians. Heck, I don’t trust politicians. Words like self-serving, unscrupulous and dishonest rise to the top of my list when I hear the phrase. I guess that’s why I take this conflict of interest stuff so seriously. Some would say that it makes the individual Councilmember look bad, but I think it also makes the Council as a whole look bad. We are not doing a very good job protecting the “perception of integrity” that is so important to an elected body. Ironically, we have a Councilmember abstaining from yet another Construction contract vote tonight.