accountability

A thread over at Hit and Run on the mounting evidence that Durham DA Mike Nifong is not merely incompetent, but flagrantly corrupt produced the following comment:

The people who hired Nifong need to feel this one when they pay their taxes. Accountability.

Now. I will 100% own up to the fact that my gut reaction to this statement was informed by the fact that I am, technically speaking, among "the people who hired Nifong." Not that I voted for him (or, indeed, at all) but I do pay taxes to the City and County of Durham. (Quite a lot, actually, but that's a topic for another day.)

Upon further reflection, though, I think Mr. Franklin may be on to something...but he's only got half of the equation. My reply:

That sounds nice on paper, but would you really want a world where taxpayers are effectively financially liable for the wrongful actions of elected officials?

Really?

This does seem a bit scary, especially if you scale up to the potential wrongdoing of governors and presidents. But maybe the fact that we are insulated from the consequences of our elected officials' actions is, in fact, a bug rather than a feature.

Secret ballots absolve you of responsibility for the power (however small) you wield over your fellow citizens. What if, in order to vote for a candidate, you had to sign a joint liability agreement? Something to the effect of "In casting this vote for the candidate of my choice, I hereby acknowledge my share of personal liability, not to exceed $X, for any civil or criminal damages incurred by said candidate during the execution of this term of office, should he/she be elected to said office."

I don't even think that X would need to be a very high number at all to effect a profound change in the way people exercised the franchise.