Ethics 101

They held a symposium on government ethics the other day in response, in part, to the number of public officials caught, as Attorney General Stuart Rabner put it, "gaming the system'' for personal gain. Rabner told the 70 local and county officials, municipal administrators and law enforcement folks there to use common sense to avoid conflicts of interest and to think about appropriate behavior and the appearance of impropriety.

It all makes perfect sense. What's shameful is that we have to hold symposiums on ethics in the first place. Public officials on all government levels need so much help that Sen. Joseph M. Kyrillos Jr., R-Monmouth, is working up legislation to require ethics training on a regular basis. It's sad that we've come to this point. You know what's right and what's wrong - and you'd think our elected officials would, too. But too many don't. Which is why they should be tossed into jail and lose their benefits - including all their pension - for not knowing the difference.