Chutzpah
You know that old defining example of chutzpah? The one where the kid kills both his parents for the inheritance, gets caught, and then, when he comes before the court for sentencing, asks the judge to go easy on him because he’s an orphan?
Well, in today’s Seattle paper, we’ve got an example that’s nearly as good: As the paper reports: “Seattle City Councilman Richard McIver used city money to pay a $1,000 fine levied by the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission last month after finding that he had given the appearance of favoritism in awarding city contracts to a longtime friend.”
That’s chutzpah.
Next time I get a parking ticket, I’m going to ask the city to deduct the fine from my monthly utility bill; that seems to me about what McIver is doing here.
But maybe not.
He’s got a justification—of sorts. Here’s how it’s described: “In a brief response Tuesday, McIver said he and the law department believe the Municipal Code allows the city's judgment claims fund to pay the fine, because the violation happened during the course of his work as a city councilman.”
I love that!
If you commit ethics violations on the job—much the best place to do so, after all (where else are you going to have the opportunity to practice nepotism in hiring, favoritism in the awarding of contracts, or workplace sexual harassment?)—then since you’re on the job, it’s up to the city to cover for you.
Makes sense.
So, in my case, it seems to me that as long as I get a parking ticket while I’m doing something in my role as citizen of Seattle, then I ought to be off the hook. And certainly, if I’m buying anything, and paying sales tax that supports city services, it’s only fair that my fine be covered, right?
And if it doesn’t work, I can always throw myself on the court’s mercy. After all, I am an orphan, right?
Well, in today’s Seattle paper, we’ve got an example that’s nearly as good: As the paper reports: “Seattle City Councilman Richard McIver used city money to pay a $1,000 fine levied by the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission last month after finding that he had given the appearance of favoritism in awarding city contracts to a longtime friend.”
That’s chutzpah.
Next time I get a parking ticket, I’m going to ask the city to deduct the fine from my monthly utility bill; that seems to me about what McIver is doing here.
But maybe not.
He’s got a justification—of sorts. Here’s how it’s described: “In a brief response Tuesday, McIver said he and the law department believe the Municipal Code allows the city's judgment claims fund to pay the fine, because the violation happened during the course of his work as a city councilman.”
I love that!
If you commit ethics violations on the job—much the best place to do so, after all (where else are you going to have the opportunity to practice nepotism in hiring, favoritism in the awarding of contracts, or workplace sexual harassment?)—then since you’re on the job, it’s up to the city to cover for you.
Makes sense.
So, in my case, it seems to me that as long as I get a parking ticket while I’m doing something in my role as citizen of Seattle, then I ought to be off the hook. And certainly, if I’m buying anything, and paying sales tax that supports city services, it’s only fair that my fine be covered, right?
And if it doesn’t work, I can always throw myself on the court’s mercy. After all, I am an orphan, right?
posted by Professor Dave at 10:26 AM
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