In the previous blog post, we looked at the factors that contribute to a civilization Enduring on the world stage. One of the characteristics was a strong sense of values which became codified into law and the sense of structure arising out of those values. This same characteristic is foundational to individual stability.
Old-timers often hearken back to the time when a business or personal transaction was concluded with a handshake rather than a legal contract, when a man’s word was his bond. There was no differentiation between what a person believed and what was expressed in relationships at all levels of interaction. What a person was in the home was the same as in business, civics or religion. There was no fragmenting of expression. He was the same person in his community as he was in his family. Morals were his beliefs and ethics were the actions out-flowing from those morals.
In 1978, the “Ethics in Government Act” became part of the U.S. federal code and established the Office of Government Ethics to remedy the backlash of the Watergate scandal which led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. The Office was to see that through financial disclosures and restrictions on conflict-of-interest government officials and employees would not use those positions for creating opportunities for personal gain or benefits to themselves or family members. This included perks from lobbyists, political action committees, benefactors or anyone else who would influence their official duties with motives of gain. This was updated in 2022 and codified under Title 5, USC Chapter 131 and specifically denies the use of nonpublic information derived from a member of Congress, and employee of Congress, Executive branch members or employees, Judicial branch members or employees from gaining through use of nonpublic information for private gain.
Seems pretty straight-forward – after all, Congress and the other Branches of government are composed of a higher percentage of lawyers than most other professions.
But as an example and because it has more transparency than other groups, in 2014 the Office of General Counsel’s Standards of Conduct Office of the Department of Defense updated its Encyclopedia of Ethical Failure which chronicles Abuse of Position, Compensations from non-government sources, credit card abuse, gambling violations, endorsements and another dozen types of failures. With brief one or two paragraph synopsis of each violation, the document runs for 165 pages.1 Similar documents for other branches are strangely “missing” from easy access.
But what about us little folks? Is there a gap between our moral beliefs and our ethical practices? Do we believe one set of rules but endeavor to live by a different one? Who do we look to for ethics? In the Gallup Poll Social Series, Americans’ Ratings of U.S. Professions…2 January 13, 2025, Honesty and Ethics of Professions Ratings, Nurses are highest at 76% favorably rated with five other professions above 50% but Clergy at 30%, Judges 28%, Members of Congress 8%, Car Salespeople 7% and Lobbyists at 4% all set low expectations of “professions” by the American public.
In 2023, a Gallup Poll3 pointed to the lowest rating in twenty-two years when American adults were asked to rate the state of moral value:
54% rated values as Poor
83% said values were declining
33% rated moral values as only Fair
Perhaps the lapse could be found in the results of a Pew Research Center report from February 26, 20254 where 55% of responding U.S. adults indicated “right” or “wrong” often depends upon the situation. Fewer than half believe in absolute standards.
Many of us seem to view Law as suggestions and not mandatory guidelines. How far over the speed limit is ‘reasonable’ without expectation of getting caught? Is it 5 mph? Ten? Twenty-five? Or when the cashier gives you too much change? Or the waitress mistakenly undercharges you for your meal? When you exaggerate your tax deductions? When you ‘sample’ a little produce at the Grocery Store? How about crossing outside the cross-walk? Not wearing your seat belt? Talking on your cell phone in a restricted location? How about littering? Anyone for drinking then driving? What about passing off stories as truth when you know otherwise?
At what point do we begin to erode our personal moral compass by compromising our beliefs of what is true? Do we develop a graduated schedule of what is important and fuzz the minors? Is it a good example to believe one standard and practice a separate standard? At what point do we blur the line in our own mind and no longer believe it is important enough to bother? If we feel the culture is declining around us, may we not be the pivot point in our circle of influence.
FOOTNOTES:
1 https://dodsoco.ogc.osd.mil/Portals/102/eef_complete%20%284%29.pdf
2 https://news.gallup.com/poll/655106/americans-ratings-professions-stay-historically-low.aspx
3 https://news.gallup.com/poll/506960/views-state-moral-values-new-low.aspx
4 https://www.pewresearch.org/collections/religious-landscape-study/
