DQ 3-2

Dq 3-2 Responses

1.

people in the private sector do not take an oath of office when they get a job. They get an offer, report to work, and that’s it. For federal employees it is different.

Incoming Congressmen, Presidents and Supreme Court Justices must take an oath of office, swearing that the official will uphold the Constitution. The Constitution is quite clear on one aspect of the oath: "no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States." And yet every oath except the Presidential one -- which is explicitly detailed in the Constitution -- now ends with "So help me God."

I believe that public officials execute their public duties as they practice their private lives. Public officials are being hired by people. Knowing that hiring ethical people means building a better organization, adding behavior and ethical assessment should be mandatory for all government officials. As we try to predict and promote ethical behavior, we can’t afford to miss the importance of individual character

Everyone, including public figures, is entitled to privacy. But when a person goes into public life, he or she must understand: Certain issues that might be considered private for a private individual can become matters of reasonable public interest when that individual runs for office. Becoming a public servant means putting the public's interest ahead of your own.

Because a politician represents the public, constituents will be better represented if he or she practices the virtues of honesty and trustworthiness in both personal and private life. The reputation of local officials may have an important impact on the business climate of the city or public support for local initiatives, so the personal behavior of politicians may become a legitimate area of public concern.

If a private matter affects the performance of the officeholder's duties, most people would agree that it is no longer private. So, for example, the president of the United States submits to a yearly physical, which is made public, because his or her health is of such key importance to the nation. Similarly, illnesses that affect job performance of local officials may be legitimate subjects of inquiry. Behaviors that might impede performance, like substance abuse, are matters of public interest. Financial problems, especially in a person with budgetary responsibilities, may be germane.

ChiefHRO.com (2017). I DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR THAT I WILL….

https://chiefhro.com/2017/01/18/i-do-solemnly-swear-that-i-will/

Gill, K. (2017). Oaths of Office For Federal Officials

https://www.thoughtco.com/oaths-of-office-for-federal-officials-3368324

Nadler, J., Schulman, M.  (2015). The Personal Lives of Public Officials

https://www.scu.edu/government-ethics/resources/what-is-government-ethics/the-personal-lives-of-public-officials/

Notre Dame Center for Ethical Leadership. (2018). Hiring for Guilt: How a Simple Test Might Help You Hire More Ethical Employees

https://ethicalleadership.nd.edu/news/hiring-for-guilt-how-a-simple-test-might-help-you-hire-more-ethical-employees/

 

2.

The oath taken by the Mayor according to The Oath of Office for Local Elected Officials is “I, _____, do solemnly swear [or affirm] that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution and laws of the State of ______, and all local ordinances, and that I will faithfully and impartially perform and discharge the duties of the office of _____, according to the law and the best of my ability.”(Manson, 2013). I do feel these oaths are sufficient to guild the Mayor in executing their ethical duties. Working as a public servant it is a must to believe in the mission and vision of the organization in order to properly perform your duties.  As an Elected official it is important to understand your obligation to the public and your ethical duties while you are in office under oath.  Regarding the question Do these officials need additional codes of ethics to guide them is it depends. Elected officials are human and even though they are spouse to obey by the oath and obey to the code of ethics, they sometimes have their own agenda. This is something that is hard to determine as their rise to power my change their own personal ethics. I do believe that higher elected official should have a higher set of code of ethics at pertains to their position and role within the community. 

 

Reference

 

 

The Oath of Office for Local Elected Officials November 26, 2013 by Pat Mason

3.

The oaths taken by government officials were created by the First Congress (1789–1791). This oath was used for all federal officials except the President, whose oath was arranged specifically in the Constitution (Article II, section 1, clause 8).   The form of the oath has changed several times since the First Congress. During the Civil War, Congress required the oath preventing anyone from office who had been unfaithful to the Union. Eventually, those elements of the “iron-clad” oath were removed during revisions in 1868, 1871, and 1884. The oath used today has not changed since 1966. “I, AB, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.” In contrast to the presidential oath, where it’s used only by tradition, the phrase “so help me God” has been part of the official oath of office for non-presidential offices since 1862 (History, Art, & Archives, n.d.).

I feel these oaths, leave a lot to be desired. They are very short and vague, though we cannot have dissertation for an oath, these oaths need to evolve, as the world has evolved since they were first written, to the last time they were changed, until present-day. There are a number of issues we deal with today, that our ancestors did not, and issues during the initial oath development do not coincide with present-day. Any major changes should be addressed as they arise. I feel the code of ethics brought out from Timothy Roufa is what all government officials need to adhere to. They are: integrity, honesty, hard work, kindness, compassion, empathy, sympathy, justice, and bravery (Roufa, 2018). These are the qualities, anyone would be proud to have a leader possess. I don’t think any more code of ethics needs to be added, because again, we could go on and on listing qualities and characteristics we feel a leader should possess, but we cannot expect a leader to possess every quality ever imagined. 

 

References:

History, Art, and Archives (n.d.). “Oath of Office” Retrieved from http://history.house.gov/Institution/Origins-Development/Oath-of-Office/

Roufa, T. (2018) "Ethics in Law Enforcement and Policing" Retrieved from 

https://www.thebalancecareers.com/ethics-in-law-enforcement-and-policing-974542