While researching the code of ethics for mining engineers, I happened to think: “there’s a code for everyone somewhere on the internet – I wonder what the code of ethics is for politicians?
Googling took me to this site:
http://usgovinfo.about.com/blethics.htm
with the following info:
|
Code of Ethics for U.S. Government Service |
Adopted July 11, 1958
Resolved by the House of Representatives {the Senate concurring}, That it is the sense of the Congress that the following Code of Ethics should be adhered to by all Government employees, including officeholders.
CODE OF ETHICS FOR GOVERNMENT SERVICE
Any person in Government service should:
1. Put loyalty to the highest moral principals and to country above loyalty to Government persons, party, or department.
2. Uphold the Constitution, laws, and legal regulations of theUnited Statesand of all governments therein and never be a party to their evasion.
3. Give a full day’s labor for a full day’s pay; giving to the performance of his duties his earnest effort and best thought.
4. Seek to find and employ more efficient and economical ways of getting tasks accomplished.
5. Never discriminate unfairly by the dispensing of special favors or privileges to anyone, whether for remuneration or not; and never accept for himself or his family, favors or benefits under circumstances which might be construed by reasonable persons as influencing the performance of his governmental duties.
6. Make no private promises of any kind binding upon the duties of office, since a Government employee has no private word which can be binding on public duty.
7. Engage in no business with the Government, either directly or indirectly which is inconsistent with the conscientious performance of his governmental duties.
8. Never use any information coming to him confidentially in the performance of governmental duties as a means for making private profit.
9. Expose corruption wherever discovered.
10. Uphold these principles, ever conscious that public office is a public trust.
[Source: U.S. House of Representatives Ethics Committee]
Sound like any politician you know?
BTW, I’ve been in government service 33 years, and I’d never been made aware of this resolution before!
This is very interesting, never thought this would exist. I wanted to find out if there was any such code of ethics in India, the country I come from. I could not find any. However, the closest I could come across was that the parliament has a ethics committee and was established only as recently as 1993 and they look into matters regarding the behavior of the elected members in the parliament.
This is a very fascinating post! I was not aware that there was a Code of Ethics for Government Service. I find it amusing that it states that they will expose corruption whenever discovered. I am curious to know how many of the individuals abide by the Code of Ethics and how often it is emphasized. Great post!