So I’m sitting on a panel this morning at a business forum and we’re talking about business ethics.

On my left is a well known and greatly respected CEO of a major Dallas company. On my right is a business journalist and author of the book and movie about America’s worst business scandal. Also on the panel is the owner/operator of one of Dallas’ hottest new restaurants, who also has a healthy business background. The moderator is a local business guru who, through his daily radio reports, keeps us all up on what happening and who’s doing it.

I’m surrounded by business heavy hitters, and, to be quite honest, I’m fascinated by what they all have to say.

Now, every place I go I’m labeled the Internet guy, and today was no different. Only the topic wasn’t what these things like blogging, podcasting and RSS are, but how they are affecting business in the post-Enron era.

I pontificate, telling everyone how bloggers are rapidly being accepted as bona fide journalists and how that’s dangerous but par for the Internet course. I challenge the audience to use their own minds and discern between the ravings of an unqualified blogger and the practiced writings of a respected news reporter. (Since I’m blogging right now isn’t that opinion tantamount to the pot calling the kettle black?)

Then the business folks talk, not about how bloggers and misuse of the Internet have wasted their time and hurt their companies, but about the sheer weight of all the government requirements being forced on American businesses. Reporting requirements, changes in financial requirements, re-reporting requirements, documentation requirements, security requirements, application requirements and much more. It sounds like it’s getting harder just to open the doors each day.

Some of the stories are ridiculous, about how they must routinely report the types and kinds of batteries used in the equipment in their warehouse buildings or face stiff fines. Stories about how employee stock option plans must be rerolled and recalculated because someone in the government decided to change the rules governing how these options should be reported. Not an elected official, mind you, but a government employee who’s job it is to “protect us” from the horrible business people who would actually give money to themselves and their employees.

As a business owner I know it’s hard to know and understand all the rules and requirements. But most company owners and managers are basically good and honest individuals. But because of a few really nasty bad-business types the pendulum has swung and we’re all burdened with another round of rules and requirements aimed at saving us from the bad guys. Why can’t we just identify and put the bad guys away, instead of belaboring the good business people with more requirements of questionable value.

Until this morning I was a firm believer that bloggers are become the watchdogs for the American people. Not all bloggers themselves are honest about their motives and agendas. But, again, most seem to be honestly trying to help the situation, not further confuse it.

But it’s dawned on me that we hear a lot about the lives of celebrities and the doings of businesses and business people but we’re not hearing about these types of questionable requirements that are clogging our daily business lives. Where are the CEO’s voices? We need a CEO blog!

I want to hear company CEOs tell their horror stories. I want names to be named and the ridiculous and bureaucratic requirements to be exposed. I want CEOs to have a voice to tell about wrongs being done their companies, for a change.

Now I know there are some CEO blogs out there. But most deal with cleanly washed topics like time management, hiring practices, team building and the like. The CEO’s I’m blessed to work with are visionaries. Sure, they build teams, but that’s because we gladly follow their lead because they are smart, and passionate and caring and, well, human.

It’s really a balance I’m after here. While the unnamed bloggers talk about bad dealings by CEOs and their companies. The CEOs can blog about how untamed government officials or clearly biased media and bloggers or dirty politics are robbing us of innovation and more competively priced products and services. No, I don’t want to hear one more candidate pointing a finger and claiming this politician or that, this company or that, are dirty, dishonest or just downright stupid. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!

Seems to me one of the greatest benefits the Internet can bring to all of us is information from both sides of a story. Then we can use our own minds and decide which is right and which is wrong.