The Interior Department, which controls oil and gas collected from US taxpayer-owned coastal waters, has been plagued with shocking ethical abuses, according to a government investigation. Violations range from giving contracts to a retired employee instead of allowing for competitive bidding to substance abuse and promiscuity.
The report states that officials “frequently consumed alcohol at (oil) industry functions, used cocaine and marijuana, and had sexual relationships with oil and gas company representatives.” Officials also allegedly accepted gifts from energy companies that exceed ethics rules, such as golf, meals and drinks, and tickets to a Toby Keith concert. In addition, oil companies were allowed to purchase oil and gas at a lowered price, after they had won contracts.
The alleged ethics mayhem took place in the Mineral Management Service (MMS) and Royalty In Kind Programs. The MMS brings in $10 billion for the federal government each year. It's the second biggest revenue maker after taxes. To find out what the investigation recommends now, read more.
The investigation strongly recommends that the Bush Administration either fire those who accepted gifts, or ban them from certain positions. Many have been transferred to other government jobs. The high-ranking officials retired during the investigation. Thus they could only face consequences if the Justice Department pursued suggested charges, which it has declined to do.
Since the department in charge of taxpayer oil seems to be a free for all, do you think we should hold off putting more oil and money in their hands through increased offshore drilling, or is this just the immoral and illegal behavior by a few bad apples?
Marni
Lee
Penhaligon
(snickers) Toby Keith? really?
1haha cat!
2I'm against drilling anyway but definitely the people running that Department should be fired - not given jobs elsewhere because obviously, they're ethically bankrupt. The people involved with taking gifts and whatnot should be fired too - they knew they were crossing every professional and ethical line possible. We don't need them working elsewhere in the government.
3Holy sh!t.
Now I'm just picturing a bunch of drunken cokehead bureaucrats running around stoned and having sex all over their office.
"The people involved with taking gifts and whatnot should be fired too - they knew they were crossing every professional and ethical line possible. We don't need them working elsewhere in the government."
Agreed, stephley.
4:lol:@ Jude ---really ---drunken coke head bureaucrats running around stoned and having sex all over their office.
5
Jude -- that's exactly what I pictured.
6sounds like a party
not!
7It's like the movie Blow, but grosser, and without Johnny Depp.
8without Johnny Depp it is certainly not a party
9
Jude! I pictured that too. They should all be fired! They misused their job titles. But, now
it makes everyone that works in that department look bad.
10Ooo sexy - suddenly "Drill Baby Drill" has new meaning.
11"Drill Baby Drill" ... ew....
12Hey, I give them props for the Toby Keith tickets. Not because I like him, but because the only way to see him would be on someone else's dime.
13Tinkerbell, that comment coupled with the "Drill Here" hat just made me laugh my ass off...
14I keep picturing this in my head, and getting more and more nauseated.
15I kind of just assumed this was what happened...so I'm not too outraged, whatever, fire whomever...
Tinker..lol.
And plz, where can I get a "drill here" hat, I definitely need one of those!
16Man, I have got to get a government job. What do you have to do to get fired?
17Hey how can I get one of those hats?
18yes i would have sex with a fat old white guy for cheap gas. wait, that was the question, right?
19I thought that picture, at first, was requesting drilling in that person's head...
20yy
21This is what happens when we let beauracricies run things with little or no accountability. They corrupt it. This is what will happen with everything that is government run. Look at the VA system. Do we really want a government known for a lack of oversight running our health care system?
22The government needs to be transparent!
23I agree. But transparency without accountability doesn't do us a lot of good.
24I agree UD. Transparent and accountable. Wouldn't that be great!
25The problem with all large companies (not just the government) is that eventually you get a level of management that just don't care. That's where you get the mismanagement and corruption. I'd like to see power taken away from the national government, and given to the states and local government. We should also send the money directly do the various states, and allow those states to use the money as they need.
26Dave, that's absurd. Everyone knows the larger that government gets, the better it is gets at efficiently solving problems.
27So, should power also be taken from large corporations?
28Of course it should. It should be put in the hands of the people. Only when the people/state own the means of production will the workers truly be free.
29i think that there's always going to be some level of gift giving/receiving in business - that's not going to stop just because some people claim that it's unethical - but i think that there is a need for bidding and comparing what people can do - since it's not fair to just go ahead and use 'nepotism' to an extent and give the work to a certain person. i wonder what they are really going to do to police this - so that they can curb this.
wasn't there a huge controversy about several congressmen last year for taking bribes/gifts etc?
also, you have to put things into perspective - if they are making more money than most other departments - then i'm not sure they are going to be so willing to ruffle the feathers internally. it's a catch-22 i think.
30omg-Hypo, I was thinking the same thing. I want one of those hats.
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