By bringing Bandow aboard, Barr is showing that he has a unique approach to the ethics issue. Business Week reported on December 16, 2005:
A senior fellow at the Cato Institute resigned from the libertarian think tank on Dec. 15 after admitting that he had accepted payments from indicted Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff for writing op-ed articles favorable to the positions of some of Abramoff's clients. Doug Bandow, who writes a syndicated column for Copley News Service, told BusinessWeek Online that he had accepted money from Abramoff for writing between 12 and 24 articles over a period of years, beginning in the mid '90s.
Though libertarians are averse to government regulation, they do place a high value on integrity. The Cato Institute put it well in its 2005 annual report:
Absent the principles of individual liberty to guide policymakers, power becomes an end unto itself, and corruption inevitably will follow. From the pathetic case of Rep. “Duke” Cunningham, to the scandalized GOP in Ohio, to the bipartisan scandals in Congress related to the Jack Abramoff affair, corruption in politics appears endemic. America deserves much better, particularly with the enormous problems facing our great nation.
1 comment:
I would argue that approaching the ethics issue in an ethical manner is unique. Barr, on the other hand, appears to be following a well-worn path.
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