This does pose a conflict of interest for our elected officials in Washington. Unfortunately, such conflicts of interest occur all the time. They are detrimental to the citizens of this country and should be prevented. The only question is how. The most common response is creating an ethics commission. This poses problems of its own. It allows old men to persecute other old men for investments designed to protect their families. I consent that there are times when these said investments truly are unlawful in nature, but I reject the idea that every cent put into an oil company by a congressmen should be seen as evil. My own view is that the only reliable way to prevent this problem is for the congressmen himself to police his own investments. But again, this poses problems when the leader has no moral fortitude. My main point is here revealed: most conflicts of interest are moral questions, not legal ones.