What's in a name? Ask Charles Rangel
The House Ethics Committee has recommended that Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) be "censured" for ethical lapses, including failing to declare rental income from a Dominican villa, improper solicitation of donations on congressional letterhead and misuse of a rent-controlled Harlem apartment. Commentators are making much of the C-word, noting that it is more damning than the alternative of a reprimand.
History bears that out, but one wonders whether voters will understand the difference. According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, "censure" means "an official reprimand." The committee probably would have sent the same message to the public with a "chiding" or a "reproof."
The only meaningful distinction for voters is the difference between Rangel losing his seat and staying put, censured though he may be. Maybe the committee should simplify its system of punishment to create two categories: "wrist slap" and "outta here."
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Not all royals are snobs, and not all snobs are royal
-- Michael McGough
Photo: Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., bows his head as House ethics committee chairman Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif, arrives in the Committee Room on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 18, 2010. Credit: Harry Hamburg/AP
On the very day that Weslie Snipes, also a man of color, is ordered to report to prison to "Do Hard Time" for violating tax law, Charlie Rangel who chaired the Committe that writes tax laws was given what amounts to a "Severe Frown" by his Housemates for violating tax laws AND SEVERAL OTHER RULES for 17 years! These actions look more like a "Banana Republic" than "Equal Justice Under The Law"
Posted by: PhillupSpace | November 20, 2010 at 08:20 PM