Do we still pretend to be a government "of laws?" The Latin phrase "nemo est supra legem" states the concept from antiquity: "No man is above the law." We generally hold Latin America in contempt for their notorious corruption and disregard for the Rule of Law. Clearly, the United States are rapidly descending to their level.

In their Oath of Office, Georgia Senators swear they will uphold the Georgia and U.S. Constitutions. They concern themselves with spending the tax monies collected from Georgia citizens, yet they believe that they should not be held to account for their own personal tax returns?

We acknowledge that any party in power could potentially misuse this reporting to oust or harrass members of the minority party. But it is significant that the party in power (Republicans) put forth this rule amendment while they held the majority. Overall, though, the ethics committees of the General Assembly have long been seen as a joke; the "good ol' boys" seem to issue a rubber-stamp pass for anything except the most heinous crimes. The phrase "Perdue Ethics" evokes giggles and guffaws across the state.

According to Jim Galloway of the AJC, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle (president of the Senate) told members of the Senate that allowing S.R. 452 to come to the floor "was a mistake." Galloway suggests that a number of Republicans who voted in favor of the Rule Change privately agreed with Brown that the measure might hold Senate members to an 'unfair' higher standard. {Gasp!} Oh, the horror! The revenue commissioner, in reporting violations or delinquencies to the Senate, would open the door to public criticism and scandal before these tax matters became public record (when liens are filed) ...and somehow, might deny Georgia Senators due process rights afforded to other citizens.

That's just a load of bull feathers. They just don't want to be "rushed" into explaining their failures. If there were a legitimate dispute between a Senator and his county's tax assessor, for example, a simple explanation would resolve the matter. If the Governor of Georgia can buy property using a shell corporation and not report it, as required by law, then decline to take official action as Governor (not purchase Oaky Woods for preservation) which results in his property doubling in value....well, why should a member of the State Senate worry about being held accountable?

With the financial meltdown in American and around the world, "confidence" is an important concept. As opinion polls and voter turnout have long shown, America's confidence in its leaders has been pathetically low for some time and is likely to continue declining. As Thomas Jefferson noted long ago, "When a man assumes a public trust he should consider himself a public property." WHY should we NOT hold elected leaders to a higher standard?

Is integrity too much to ask of our elected officials? For more than a third of the Georgia Senate and for 22 UNNAMED members of the Georgia General Assembly, the answer is a resounding YES!

Let's not bog down in legal technicalities, like brazen corruption in our elected leaders...instead, let's move on with the looting of American taxpayer wallets. Pay no attention to that slimey man behind the curtain! Let's finish shredding the tattered remains of our Constitutions and the Founding Principles, like "the Rule of Law."

Where is the outrage, people? Where are the pitchforks and rope?

"Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty." --Thomas Jefferson

"The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." --Thomas Jefferson

"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent." --Thomas Jefferson