“Self-righteousness has killed more people than smoking.” – John McCarthy, British Journalist During the course of a recent talk on ethics I spoke about the need to forgive; to forgive those who have not only hurt our feelings but even those who have stolen or cheated.  During the Q&A, someone asked if that forgiveness should extend to the corporate CEOs at...

Here’s an early Christmas gift. In what has become an annual event, Politifact.com, the Pulitzer Prize winning fact-check organization, has revealed itsLie of the Year for 2011. And the winner is… “Republicans voted to end Medicare.” “Republicans muscled a budget through the House of Representatives in April, that they said would take an important step toward reducing the federal deficit,”...

On August 6, 1945, at 8:15 a.m., U.S. forces destroyed the city of Hiroshima, Japan with the first atomic bomb used in warfare directly killing an estimated 80,000 people. Injury and radiation increased that total to 90,000 to 140,000. Three days later, a second A-bomb was used to destroy Nagasaki directly killing another 60,000 to 80,000 men, women and children....

This is not a good year to be a member of Congress. In its annual measure of Ethics and Honesty in Professionssurvey, the Gallup organization, not surprisingly, found that 64% of Americans rate Congress at “Low” or “Very Low,” which tied a record low score with Lobbyists in 2008. Telemarketers, stockbrokers, bankers, real estate agents, and lawyers all beat out Congress...

In the hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan, Franklin Roosevelt had to make a number of critical decisions for the country; not the least of which was standing before Congress and the American people to clearly explain what had happened and what America’s response would be. While Roosevelt was responsible for a number of significant decisions in...

I’ve written about Major John Baldwin, (Ret.) before. A vascular surgeon who served with distinction in Viet Nam and several hospitals after the war, John’s ‘moment of principle’ was featured in my book, “What Do You Stand For?” John has since become a valued friend and supporter of this writer. Commenting on ethics in general and Joe Paterno in particular,...

Like a lot of fans of Penn State, I was shocked to learn of the allegations of sexual assault on at least 8 young boys over a 15-year period by former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. However, I was completely unprepared to learn of head coach Joe Paterno’s lack of action when he first heard of the abuse in 2002...

That’s the deadline facing the bipartisan Congressional committee on a plan to reduce the country’s deficit by at least $1.2 trillion over the next ten years. “I am worried you’re going to fail – fail the country.” That’s what Erskine Bowles recently said to the committee. Bowles was one of the co-chairs of the president’s fiscal commission originally set-up to...

Politifact, the Pulitzer Prize winning fact-check group has carefully kept track of all 508 campaign promises made by then candidate Obama. Politifact breaks them down into the following categories: “Promises Kept,” “Compromised,” “Promises Broken,” “Stalled,” “In the Works” and “Not yet rated.” According to Politifact, President Obama has kept 151 promises; among them: Establish a Credit Card Bill of Rights; Expand loan programs for...

Yee-Haa! That’s right, boys and girls it’s time once again for anotherPolitifact Rodeo Round-up. Who’s shootin’ straight and who’s fibbin’ from the lip. First out of the chute is the round-up’s most sensational newcomer, Herman “Yes, we” Cain. Of  21 statements checked, Politifact rated 14% as Mostly True, 19% Half True, 14% Mostly False, 43% False and 10% Pants-on-Fire.  » Read more about: Rodeo...