A recent poll indicated that 65 percent of those surveyed thought the government was interested only in appearing to solve problems. The ethics establishment has grown out of the American predilection for the quick fix, Reynolds says. It's infinitely easier to create a rule book than to identify what rules have been broken. It is so much easier to look at whether a form has been filled out properly or a notebook kept neat. Focusing on appearances is also a neat way to sidestep any real judgment on a specific matter, Reynolds says.
Substantive analysis requires judgment, and judgment implies responsibility.
If the conclusion is in error, that reflects badly on the formulator. Better to stand above the fray, to declare that appearances are the problem. Nowhere is appearance ethics more glaringly apparent than in politics, Reynolds says. The current flap over campaign finances is a case in point. The campaign finance laws are all about appearances.