Recently there has been much in the news about ethics violations by Representative Charles B. Rangel and others in the US House of Representatives. While due process should be allowed to take its course I thought it would be a good time to talk about ethical behavior and the fiduciary duties elected government officials have toward their constituents.
Unlike most of the new legislation being passed the US House of Representatives has a fairly short set of rules (http://ethics.house.gov/) that they must follow in order to be in compliance with the law, but this has very little to do with ethical behavior and the use of one's office for personal gains or favor, although it does establish limits and guidelines for those who believe that regulation by others is the only restriction to proper behavior.
Ethics are a set of social and civil human concept developed through history which provide for the peaceful, respectful, and beneficial interaction between ourselves and all we come in contact. Throughout history it has been attempted by groups, secular and non-secular, to delineate ethical behavior with codes, rules, and regulations, but no attempt has been thoroughly successful because those who write the rules invariably wish to provide some exemptions for themselves. The US Constitution and Bill of Rights is an exceptional example that has been diluted by many (not all) of the regulations that followed.
Innately we all know how to be ethical and make decisions to violate this behavior. Sometimes violations are caused by survival instincts in which we feel we have no other choice and often instigated by unethical behavior by another. Other times violation is caused by feelings of entitlement, that we are owed something on the simple basis of who we are. This latter case is the most dangerous as there is no remorse or respect to the violated. In the case of Congressional members the violated are the American people.
Letting my geeky side expose itself I'm going to quote James T, Kirk from Star Trek (TOS episode 54; http://www.startrek.com/database_article/omega-glory) The Omega Glory in which he says "They must apply to everyone or they mean nothing!" in reference to the Constitution, but also applies to ethical behavior. Later saying "Liberty and freedom have to be more than just words."
Ethics is the respect we give to others and their individual and cumulative rights. Ethics is a reflection of how we, ourselves, wish to be treated by others. Those who believe that their behavior and responsibility is exempt from this concept due to their elite position or status should not be the ones we choose to represent us.
