Let's Clean It Up!

The recent scandal in the U.S. House of Representatives involving former Congressman Mark Foley and his relationship with underage House pages is appalling on many levels. Obviously, it is reprehensible that a sexual predator was taking advantage of teenagers in the halls of Congress. It is equally disturbing that Republicans in the House Leadership knew of Mark Foley's inappropriate relationship with House pages and covered it up for months and, in some cases, years. \nThis is the latest example of how broken Washington is. Clearly, our leaders are putting their own political interests ahead of our children, and Congress is so corrupt and divided by partisanship that it is unable to do the people's business. We cannot allow the House of Representatives to continue to be sidetracked by ethics violations, scandals and partisan bickering—the work of Congress is too significant and the issues our country faces are too important. Enough is enough. We need a change and some new ideas to get our country back on the right track. \nI believe that we must overhaul the House Ethics Committee if we are serious about cleaning up the mess in Washington. Since April, I have been calling for the complete restructuring of the Ethics Committee and the way in which ethics complaints are handled. The current system of self-examination is not working. My proposal includes the creation of a bipartisan panel of former members of Congress to replace the current Ethics Committee comprised of sitting members of Congress. Former Congressman Lee Hamilton, who represented Southern Indiana's 9th District for 34 years, has endorsed my plan and he is exactly who I had in mind when I developed the proposal. \nWhile there are many problems facing our great nation, there is nothing that we can't solve with straight talk, a little foresight and good ideas. That is what being a public servant is all about—implementing sound policy to help the people. As your representative, I will work to restore honor to Congress, reach across party lines to get things done and bring the change that Hoosier families need.