Issues involving transparency and open records in the Governor’s Office and elsewhere must be improved if Louisiana is really willing to boast about being the best in ethics laws.
Effective enforcement is an issue, too, given drastic changes in the structure of the Board of Ethics this year.
from C.B. Forgotston
In his new ethics law, [Jindal] raised the standard of proof to a level unlikely to be reached by the Administrative Law Judges that he appoints. That is, if those who Jindal appointed to the Ethics Board (a majority) decide to forward the case to the judges.
Oct. 16, 2008
Ethics on holiday in LA
Monday, Jul 21 2008
Ten of the eleven members of the Heh, Heh, Heh, State Ethics Board quit, including the board’s top administrator. The board cannot do anything because it no longer has a quorum of members.
Bobby Jindal claims LA leads the nation in ethics laws. We give him pass on that bit of erroneous hyperbole. After all, Bobby is a politician and lying by politicians has been found to be “protected speech” by some Federal courts.
In summary
According to Jindal we have the “toughest ethics laws in the nation.” Even if that were true, they are unenforceable because of language Jindal allowed to be put into the enforcement mechanism. If the laws were enforceable, there is nobody to enforce them.
That gives new meaning to “come to Louisiana, we’re open for business.” It now is more like come to Louisiana and let’s make a deal there are no rules.
IS THIS A GREAT STATE OR WHAT!
C.B.