Patrick Fitzgerald on Solutions to Corruption

See Update Below
At a University of Washington panel on Thursday, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, known most recently for his investigation and arrest of Gov. Blagojevich, spoke about corruption in government and what can be done about it.

According to an article in the Seattle Times, Fitzgerald said some worthwhile things about government ethics and corruption. Here are some samples:

Fitzgerald said corruption in business or government can exist only if people who know about it do nothing.

He said that during a sweeping corruption investigation into the Secretary of State's Office in Illinois — which ultimately resulted in nearly 70 indictments and the conviction of Ryan — workers told him over and over that the payoffs and bribery he was investigating "was just the way it is in Chicago. ... My response is, 'That's the way you're allowing it to be. We need people to stand up.'"

The solutions he and the others offered were as simple as they seem unachievable at a time when the public's trust in corporate America is at a low: a cultural change that rewards honesty, where leadership encourages transparency and where loyalty is to an ideal, not to a person. (emphasis mine)

Update (July 6, 2009): This speech is now available as an online video, along with a panel discussion that followed Fitzgerald's speech.

Robert Wechsler
Director of Research-Retired, City Ethics

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