No ethics in Kansas government?

You know you have problems as a state if you don't even have rules regarding conflicts of interest and ethics regarding your representatives.

Such is the case in Kansas right now.

According to KMBC: "House rules don't spell out what constitutes misconduct worthy of a reprimand, censure or expulsion."

And yet House Speaker Mike O'Neal is "representing businesses, trade groups and insurance funds in a lawsuit against the state."

Check that out--the House Speaker, whose job is to represent the State and the people in it, is also representing business groups AGAINST the State of Kansas, in a lawsuit.

And there's no rules against this seemingly crystal clear conflict of interest.

If you're a business that wants to file or has filed a lawsuit against your own state, can you imagine having any more preferred attorney representing you than the Speaker of the House of Representatives?

That is, if you can make that fly.

And/or there are no ethics rules against it in your state.

Notes to the citizens of Kansas:

1) You need conflict of interest rules for your legislators;

2) Your legislators should have written them a long time ago (again, quoting KMBC: "The House last appointed a committee to review a member's conduct in 1951.";

3) You need them quickly. Now would be a good time;

4) In words from the Broadway play "Avenue Q": "It sucks to be you".