Glass ceiling for people of integrity
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TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | DEC. 13-19, 2019 17
BY PHILIP FOGLIA
Glass ceilings are unofficially
sanctioned impediments
to professional advancement
that have traditionally stymied
women and minorities
from navigating traditional
paths to success in a chosen
vocation. Honesty and integrity
in our politics and government,
virtues that are normally
admired, are now traits that
will short circuit a career for
office seekers or other public
servants.
Consider the controversy
over whistleblowers. Whistleblowers
are individuals who
expose information or activities
that are illegal, unethical,
wasteful or harmful within an
organization or government
entity. While many governmental
agencies have internal
affairs divisions and Inspectors
General to root out such
activities, they can’t be expected
to uncover all improprieties.
Individuals in the trenches
are relied upon to report suspect
activities. It is crucially
important to encourage and
support these people. Instead
we see a rash of corruption
apologists calling them spies
and even surveillance by law
enforcement being described
as spying. Honesty and integrity
are unfortunately not part
of the equation.
It’s even worse in our political
system. Personal honesty
and integrity are virtues one
would think are basic characteristics
necessary for election
to office. In today’s political
world they guarantee failure.
Today’s political culture is a
far cry from what our Founding
Fathers envisioned.
John Adams said, “Always
stand on principle ... even if
you stand alone.”
George Washington said,
“I hope that I shall always
possess firmness and virtue
enough to maintain what I
consider to be the most enviable
of all titles, the character
of an honest man.”
Thomas Jefferson said,
“The whole art of government
consists in the art of being
honest.”
Thomas Paine declared,
“He who dares not offend cannot
be honest.”
It’s not just that integrity
is out of fashion, truly honest
men and women are shut out of
the political process. Individuals
not willing to compromise
their values or abandon morality
simply cannot succeed in
our current political climate.
Not to be confused with compromise
on issues, integrity
requires truth telling, transparency
and advancing the
well-being of the country, not
individual ascendancy. Our
Founders wisely knew that
in a large democratic republic
compromise would have
to occur or oppression by one
view or another would tear the
country asunder. But it had to
be done intelligently and virtuously.
Compare the Founders previously
quoted with those on
the political scene today where
lying and hypocrisy are the
norm. Childish name-calling,
demonization of people who
disagree and telling demonstrable
lies are the currency
of our so-called leaders. The
sad reality is that a person of
virtue cannot succeed in our
current political climate and
deviousness is rewarded at the
ballot box. So deeply divided is
our nation that we are willing
to accept outright lies from our
leaders if they are from our
side of the political spectrum.
In his Farewell Address,
George Washington wrote, “It
is substantially true that virtue
or morality is a necessary
spring of popular government.”
He believed that America was
becoming one of the great nations
of the world and give to
mankind “the magnanimous
and too novel example of a people
always guided by an exalted
justice and benevolence.”
Currently we are not living
up to that aspiration.
Phil Foglia is a former
state and federal
prosecutor and Special
Deputy Inspector General
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