Full Disclosure

[digitaldiscipline]

jabber suggests, I think that the criminal records and investment portfolios of every elected or appointed public official should not only be "available" but made PROMINENT.

We, the members of the wildturkeyparty, absolutely agree with this stance.

Comments

[mighty-man.livejournal.com]

I would agree with criminal records -- I might even put forth the proposition that someone with a criminal record shouldn't even be allowed in office (on the other hand...perhaps it should be a prerequisite), but I have to disagree with the investment portfolio bit. In order to maintain transparency to the public as a whole, it could be argued that an official couldn't invest anything -- not even having your entire portfolio in cash (currency).

Does owning a SPDR mean that I can't do business with those companies that compose it? Keep in mind that the S&P 500 means that I can't do business with the five hundred largest companies in the USA.

That is a serious stretch.
MM

[etcet.livejournal.com]

Not saying anything of the sort vis a vis mutual funds, index funds, or even individual corporate stocks - but the public deserves to know whether or not the potential exists for governance to be swayed by the impact on policymakers' stock portfolios that could be informing their decisions.

the solution, and, when it's practiced correctly, i think it's a good one, is for public officials' holdings to be put into a blind trust for the duration of their tenure, so that any temptation to undermine the public good for personal gain is obviated.

you're not supposed to go into government to get rich, you're supposed to be there to make it a better country for -everyone.-

[mighty-man.livejournal.com]

Does the public really deserve to know that?

As for a blind trust -- I really don't think so. If you were in government and had your savings in stocks and the market crashed, wouldn't you want to bail out too before you lost everything?

As for the last statement -- I'd be more inclined to think that you have to be rich to get into government, and you're only there to put your stamp on it, not to make it better for *anyone* else. If you didn't get anything out of it, why would you do it?

You're also supposed to never break the speed limit...but I've seen you drive. *g*
MM