I have a question for you.

Jean Murray, who writes Small Business Boomers, sent me a link to this story.

“The city of Alexandria, Virginia has hired a professional ethicist to help decide how budget cuts should be made.

The Washington Post reports the ethicists has helped with decisions that include turning apartments built for the mentally ill to temporary housing for the disabled.

Hiring ethicists is not unusual for public hospitals, but seldom has been a practice for local officials who are grappling with difficult budget choices.

When difficult choices have to be made, many see using an ethicist as a moral compass in an effort to do the least harm.”

A friend of Jean’s said, “It sounds to me like a failure in leadership.  These people were elected by the citizens of Alexandria to make the tough decisions, and they want someone else to get them off the hook.”

Do you agree? Should the politicians have made the decision or was it a wiser choice to get input from someone who makes a living being ethical?

Please cast your vote in comments, whether you choose add something else or not.

Your comments—priceless

Don’t miss a post, subscribe via RSS or EMAIL

Image credit: flickr