QUESTIONING ETHICS

State Auditor Margaret Kelly last week released an audit that was sharply critical of the Missouri Ethics Commission. The commission replaced the old Campaign Finance Review Board two years ago. It is charged with collecting and filing personal finance disclosure forms -- from public officials, elected officials and candidates -- and campaign finance disclosure forms from candidate committees.

Mrs. Kelly charges lax enforcement by the commission, especially in its failure to impose fines on late filers and the like. The commission responds, essentially, by saying that the auditor is nitpicking and that it lacks the necessary enforcement staff and budget to do everything the auditor seems to think they should be doing.

There is undoubtedly truth on both sides. Under the best of circumstances, ethics commissions are blunt instruments for policing ethics. But there is another lesson, commended to Americans by our insightful columnist Paul Greenberg. He notes that as modern inventions such ethics commissions have proliferated, real ethics in government doesn't seem to get better -- indeed, it could be argued they are worse. Sort of like the verse from Proverbs that says, "Put not your faith in princes. ..."

No ethics commission will ever be a substitute for informed, alert and active citizenship.