Time for lawmakers to get themselves ethics

As adults, we are guided by the lessons in our heads that our parents taught us, and which become our moral compass. Some no longer need parental supervision; and for those who break the law, we have cops and courts to remind us of our failings. You would expect those lessons to work; however, some lawmakers seem to forget them, or act as though they are beyond the law. When they break the rules of conduct, there are no adults to supervise them.

Those in power seem to ignore their own rules and fail to pass ethical reform laws to guide their own behavior. Their ethics committee seems unable to see any violations, even though the public sees many. It's time the public demanded they establish an independent commission to investigate ethics violations by lawmakers. Maybe then they could apply the same standard as the second-grade students who protested the injustices they read about.

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A Utah native, John Florez has founded several Hispanic civil rights organizations; been on the staff of Sen. Orrin Hatch, served on more than 45 state, local and volunteer boards; and filled White House appointments, including deputy assistant secretary of labor and as a member of the commission on Hispanic education. E-mail: jdflorez@comcast.net