This Is Why You Don't Skip Class

U.S. Ethics Official To White House: No, These Rules Definitely Apply To You

The Office of Government Ethics has informed the Trump administration that the White House has an "incorrect" view of ethics laws.

In a Thursday letter, OGE director Walter Shaub contradicted what he called the White House's "extraordinary assertion," made in a recent letter, that "many regulations promulgated by the Office of Government Ethics ('OGE') do not apply to employees of the Executive Office of the President."

Shaub was having no part of that: "The assertion is incorrect, and the letter cites no legal basis for it."

Definition of ethic

1. 1ethics plural in form but singular or plural in construction :  the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation
2. 2a :  a set of moral principles :  a theory or system of moral values the present-day materialistic ethic an old-fashioned work ethic —often used in plural but singular or plural in construction an elaborate ethics Christian ethicsb ethics plural in form but singular or plural in construction :  the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group professional ethicsc :  a guiding philosophyd :  a consciousness of moral importance forge a conservation ethic
3. 
   

Thank you, Merriam-Webster.

See, here's the thing: Everyone is bound by ethics. Those ethics are frequently determined by the profession you go into - librarians, for instance, are bound by the ethics of librarianship; doctors are bound by the ethics of the medical field; spiritual leaders are bound by the ethics of religious leadership. Heck, I'm sure someone somewhere has codified the ethics of cosmetology. Excuse me while I go search...

Yep. It took me literally two seconds to find out. There are actually several. Here you are - various Codes of Ethics of the Professional Beauty Association.

I don't know why the current administration would think that the ethics set down for government employees would not apply to the White House. That's not how this works. Ethics aren't arbitrary regulations - they are how we view the world in a moral framework.

Maybe they shouldn't have skipped that ethics class, after all.

Pretty picture!

Links!

• Library Land
• Knowledge Is a Kind of Infrastructure "Maintaining our national infrastructure is crucial. Potholes and crumbling edifices clearly indicate that something needs fixing. But knowledge is infrastructure too. Science and technology are the basis of the modern economy and key to solving many serious environmental, social, and security challenges. Basic research, driven by curiosity, freedom, and imagination, provides the groundwork for all applied research and technology. And just as we have to break the endless cycle of temporary fixes to our transportation, long-term investments in knowledge are vital, especially nowadays when short-term objectives and results seem to capture the most attention and dollars." 
• Health, Science, & Technology
• CDC probes multistate listeria outbreak linked to contaminated cheese  "The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating a multistate outbreak of listeriosis linked to the consumption of soft raw milk cheese made by Vulto Creamery that has led to two deaths.  Six people were hospitalized in Connecticut, Florida, New York and Vermont, including two fatalities in Connecticut and Vermont, the CDC said on Thursday. "
• House Republicans Would Let Employers Demand Workers’ Genetic Test Results "A little-noticed bill moving through Congress would allow companies to require employees to undergo genetic testing or risk paying a penalty of thousands of dollars, and would let employers see that genetic and other health information."
• International
• South Korean president removed from office over corruption scandal "Elections for a new president must now be held within 60 days, and polls point to a change in political direction for South Korea. Progressive candidate Moon Jae-in holds a strong lead over the conservatives who were once loyal to Park."
• A Judge Who Asked Alleged Rape Victim Why She Hadn't Kept Her Knees Together Has Resigned  "The complainant in the 2014 case — who was 19 years old and homeless the time — had stated that Federal Court Justice Robin Camp's comment had made her hate herself and feel like 'some kind of slut,' the Globe and Mail reports. During the trial, the judge said that 'sometimes pain and sex go together' and referred to the alleged victim as 'the accused.'" Good riddance. My only complaint is that the vote to kick him off the bench wasn't unanimous.
• U.S. News
• A quarter of all children in the US have an immigrant parent "There were 4.1 million young US citizens—around 6% of all US kids—being raised by an unauthorized immigrant from 2009-2013. Who will take care of them if their parents are deported under the new president’s more draconian immigration guidelines?"
• GOP Congressman Asks Why Men Should Have To Pay For Prenatal Care Could someone please take Rep. John Shimkus aside and explain that, in most cases, baby creation requires a female and a male. So prenatal care is also a men's issue. K, thx.