Jim Lichtman has been writing and speaking on ethics to corporations, associations and organizations since 1995. Feature stories and appearances include USA TODAY, the Washington Post, the Weekend Today Show in New York, National Public Radio's Weekend Edition, NY-1, and CNN's NewsNight with Aaron Brown.

The Washington Post called Jim's first book, The Lone Ranger's Code of the West – An Action-Packed Adventure in Values and Ethics, "…entertaining and informative." New York Daily News columnist Stanley Crouch called it, "an attempt to ring the bells of ethics and courage once more."

Jim's Op-Ed commentaries have appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Chicago Tribune, Houston Chronicle, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, New York Daily News, and New York Times.

His latest book is WHAT DO YOU STAND FOR? – Stories About Principles That Matter. Using responses from Mario Cuomo to the Dalai Lama to a cross-section of ordinary citizens, Jim talks about the principles that matter and encourages each of us to live up to our highest aspirations by using a practical, clear-cut code of ethical values.

Jim is a member of the National Advisory Board for the Walter H. Capps Center for the Study of Ethics, Religion and Public Life at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Blog Entries by Jim Lichtman

Far Short of Perfect

Posted December 4, 2009 | 12:25 PM (EST)


If you watched the opening of Good Morning, America Thursday you found stories covering President Obama's Afghanistan speech, unemployment, health care, Salahi-Gate; and then there was this: Golf Superstar Tiger Woods apology for his "transgressions."

The Today Show, Early Show, same thing. All this in the first half hour...

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The Heart of Fools

Posted November 30, 2009 | 09:22 PM (EST)


The House of Mirth is a dark and depressing Edith Wharton novel about a self-absorbed young woman obsessed with the goal of fitting into the upper-crust of wealth and society in turn of the century New York.

Lily Bart is a striking woman "to the manner born." Although she's...

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The Answer to Heath Care

Posted November 11, 2009 | 12:49 PM (EST)


Hold on to your hats, folks, I'm getting ready to be brilliant.

I have the answer to the health care debate. No, really!

Last Saturday, the House narrowly passed its version of health care reform. Now, we all hold our breath as it goes to the Senate and then...

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Responsibility and the Press

Posted November 2, 2009 | 12:33 PM (EST)


Should a newspaper print a story from a confidential report concerning ethics investigations, in which members of Congress are named, if the story was obtained as a result of an accidental release?

Late Thursday night (Oct. 29), The Washington Post released the following two stories as "Breaking News": Confidential House...

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What Should Charlie Do?

Posted October 13, 2009 | 12:43 PM (EST)


New York's Democratic Representative Charles B. Rangel, chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee has a bit of an ethical issue.

The House Ethics Committee has expanded their investigation into Mr. Rangel's failure to "...report hundreds of thousands of dollars in income and assets from 2002 through 2006,"

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How Would You Decide? -- Keeping Me Honest

2 Comments | Posted September 25, 2009 | 10:30 AM (EST)


A few hours after posting this commentary on my Web site, I learned that Susan Atkins died late last night.

On Sept. 4, I offered an ethical scenario.

How Would You Decide? asked readers on both my own Web site and Huffington Post to put themselves in the...

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Has America Lost Its Moral Compass?

Posted September 21, 2009 | 09:47 AM (EST)


During an awards ceremony, a Rap star takes the stage away from one winner and shouts that another should have won.

A political pundit calls the President a racist.

In the middle of the President's address to a joint session of Congress, a representative shouts, "You lie!", and......

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When is it Not the Public's Right?

Posted September 9, 2009 | 12:30 PM (EST)


Last Friday (Sept. 4) Huffington Post ran a photo on the front page of its site with the headline, "Snapshot of an Unseen War." The photo depicted the final hours of life of Lance Corporal Joshua M. Bernard, 21, after he was struck down by a rocket-propelled grenade in Afghanistan...

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How Would You Decide? -- Part II

12 Comments | Posted September 7, 2009 | 10:02 AM (EST)


Last Friday, I offered an ethical dilemma.

I asked readers to imagine sitting on the California parole board to decide whether to grant convicted murderer Susan Atkins "compassionate release" based on her terminally ill condition.

I asked readers to offer up their thoughts before submitting my own...

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Uncommon Sense

1 Comments | Posted September 4, 2009 | 04:01 PM (EST)


In words that I can only describe as abominably ignorant, a number of state legislators and others have said the following regarding President Obama's planned address to school children regarding education and achievement via the Internet Tuesday:

Senator and candidate for governor of Oklahoma Randy Brogdon: "President...

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How Would You Decide?

21 Comments | Posted September 4, 2009 | 09:42 AM (EST)


You sit on the California state parole board looking into a request to release Susan Atkins, the terminally ill prisoner convicted of participating in the killing of actress Sharon Tate and four others in 1969.

At the parole hearing, you listen to family members of the victims.

Debra Tate, sister...

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With Passion and Purpose

Posted August 27, 2009 | 09:59 AM (EST)


It's curious to reflect on three moments in my life that are marked by the same question: Where were you when Kennedy died?

As a high school freshman in New York, I was in the middle of learning some important but long forgotten piece of Algebra when President John F....

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Hate Speech

9 Comments | Posted August 18, 2009 | 11:03 PM (EST)


"The summer of 2009 has not been our finest hour."

So wrote Newsweek editor Jon Meacham (Aug. 24) in response to those individuals who have brought Hitler and Nazism into the debate on health care.

There's political commentary and there's hate speech, and I'm sick and tired of...

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The Perfect Storm

4 Comments | Posted August 14, 2009 | 01:38 PM (EST)


"You are trampling on our constitution," Craig Miller shouted at Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Spector last Tuesday.

"This is about the dismantling of this country," Katy Abram added.

"They are talking about killing people," said Laurel Tobias.


The question that kept coming up for me was, WHY....

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From Fear to Faith

12 Comments | Posted August 12, 2009 | 10:22 AM (EST)


When people allow themselves to be overwhelmed by fear things usually get crazy.

Sadly, such is the case concerning Health Care reform.

During a series of town hall meetings around the country last week, members of Congress have been jeered, shouted-down, and threatened with death. Many of the protesters...

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The Cheney Papers

1 Comments | Posted June 25, 2009 | 06:59 PM (EST)


It was announced that former Vice-President Dick Cheney has sold the rights to his memoir. "Mr. Cheney's memoir," the New York Times reported, "will focus on the past 40 years of his life, mostly in Washington."

By way of unnamed sources, I was able to get a draft copy...

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Should Manny Play?

Posted June 11, 2009 | 12:37 PM (EST)


Manny Ramirez is gone, suspended for 50 regular season games for testing positive for a banned substance, but should he be allowed to play in this year's All-Star Game?

Ramirez's suspension ends July 3. The All-Star Game is played on July 14th. Legally, Ramirez is eligible to play.

Ethically?

...
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Obama and the "God Gap"

14 Comments | Posted June 8, 2009 | 12:30 PM (EST)


President Obama appears quite comfortable with religious language but clearly wants to defuse the strong, divisive rhetoric surrounding it.

This was apparent in his inaugural address when he referred to the country as a "patchwork," made up "of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and non-believers." More than just multi-religious...

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"High and Tight, Mediocre Cheese"

Posted June 1, 2009 | 03:02 PM (EST)


On Monday, February 10, 2009, Alex Rodriquez's life changed forever.

The highest-paid player in baseball, called the greatest player in the modern game, also called Mr. Clean by some, because he was never directly tied to drug use, finally came clean (after reporter Selena Roberts broke the news in Sports...

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Decanting the Truth

1 Comments | Posted May 26, 2009 | 11:25 AM (EST)


In a press interview regarding the Iraq war, Vice-President Dick Cheney was asked "Over 70 percent of Americans disagree with this war, what is your response?"

"So."

It was a chilling moment of arrogance not easily forgotten by most Americans. It was the same when events were disclosed surrounding the...

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