"Power Corrupts But Power Also Attracts The Corruptible" - More Political Class Corruption

We are constantly talking about the rampant corruption of American politics from a variety of perspectives. We have talked about how crony politics and capitalism resulted in tens of billions of dollars of taxpayer wealth being directed to President Obama’s fund raisers’ alternative and solar energy companies, all of which went bankrupt or contributed nothing to the good of society:

http://loathemygovernment.blogspot.com/2011/10/obama-adminstrations-bad-bets-on.html

http://loathemygovernment.blogspot.com/2011/10/stench-from-solyndra-continues-to-rise.html

We have talked about how Washington Democratic politicians preach that Americans need to pay more taxes while they actively go about immorally and illegally avoiding their fair share payment of taxes:

http://loathemygovernment.blogspot.com/2013/01/january-2013-political-class-insanity_3.html

http://loathemygovernment.blogspot.com/2011/01/politicians-creed-do-as-i-say-not-as-i.html

And we have covered just general corruption in many posts including a series beginning with the following post:

http://loathemygovernment.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-slime-sleaze-immorality-and.html

Today will be an update on a variety of political corruption activities from a wide range of political spectrum, an update that comes on the heels of the recent news that now former Illinoi Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. and his wife will be going to jail for misusing and abusing campaign funds for their own personal, vain purchases:

1) Four Troy, New York Democratic politicians and political “operatives” recently pleaded guilty to voter fraud felony charges:

• Investigators uncovered their plot to rig election results by abusing the absentee ballot process.
• They were able to get their hands on absentee ballots of voters in their voting districts, forging signatures and submitting them with the votes they wanted to be registered.
• How easy was it to pull off this abuse of democracy? One of the Democrats who pleaded guilty stated “that faking absentee ballots was a commonplace and accepted practice in political circles, all intended to swing an election.”
• What types of voters were abused by this practice: “The people who are targeted live in low-income housing, and there is a sense that they are a lot less likely to ask any questions.”

So, yes, voter fraud does exist, the type of political fraud that undermines our freedom and democracy at its core. And even worse, it appears to be an accepted practice, at least in the Troy, New York area where taking advantage of the poor in our society is an accepted practice. Disgraceful.

Thankfully, they were caught and will be going to jail for what I consider treasonous acts because if a democracy cannot have faith in its democratic processes, faith in the democracy will end.

2) An Associated Press March 14, 2013 article reported on a massive set of arrests regarding the misuse and abuse of a military/veterans charity which has already led to the resignation of the lieutenant governor of Florida:

• Florida's lieutenant governor resigned and nearly 60 other people were charged in a scandal regarding a veterans charity that may have been nothing more than a front for a $300 million gambling operation.
• In turns out that the charity may actually be operating about 50 Internet parlors with computerized slot machine-style games.
• Law enforcement sources say the charity gave very little to veterans while charity officers and employees spent millions on themselves, their boats, beach front condos, and high end imported cars.
• According to Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi , the alleged scam is "callous" and "despicable" and it "insults every American who ever wore a military uniform."
• Florida Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll was not among those charged but resigned a day after she was questioned by investigators.
• The investigation involved 57 arrest warrants and 54 search warrants issued in Florida and five other states: South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Nevada and Pennsylvania, and law enforcement organizations had seized about 300 bank accounts containing $64.7 million, as well as sports cars and other property.
• Criminal charges are will likely include racketeering, conspiracy, money laundering and possession of slot machines.
• Apparently this is only the first wave of arrests, involving those that directly ran and profited from the felonious activity but another wave of arrests may involve others involved in lobbying and donations to political entities and efforts.

These are arrests, they are not proof of guilt, that question will have to be answered by the courts. But it is not a stretch to assume that political operatives and politicians are corrupt and abusing a segment of our population, in this case our veterans. If true, this is also disgraceful behavior by a disgraceful class of people.

3) The March 1, 2013 issue of The Week magazine reported on the corrupt exploits of the former mayor of San Diego, Maureen O’Connor. Seems that Ms. O’Connor took $2 million from a charity that had been established by her late husband and gambled it away, a fact that she does not dispute. Another politician apparently taking advantage of the more disadvantaged in our society.

But at least her excuses and reasons for taking the millions of dollars are creative. She claims that she had a “grief gambling” problem as a result of her husband’s death. In other words, it was not her fault. In addition, if that excuse was not enough, she also claimed that a brain tumor caused her to do it, she is not responsible for taking $2 million from a charity.

I am not a doctor or medical professional, I am not qualified to know if “grief gambling” is a true affliction or if her brain tumor made her do it. She has been given two years to pay back the debt by the courts, let’s see if she makes good with her fraud and corruption or if it was just another politician caught with their hand in the corruption cookie jar.

4) According to a CBS report from their Washington DC affiliate on March 11, 2013, a recent Pew Research survey found the following:

• Only three out of every ten Americans on average trust the decisions made by the government.
• This finding continues the downward trend over the years.
• These results are historic lows and are consistent across all subsets of Americans surveyed.
• According to the survey’s writers, “Since Barack Obama’s first year in office, public assessments of the federal government dropped nine points. Most of the change was among Democrats and independents, as the level of favorable views of government among Republicans was already low.” Thus, this is not a “Bush” problem, it is an Obama problem and crisis and a problem with every sitting politician.

Given the corruption, incompetence, selfishness, and elitist attitude of government and the political class, it should come as no surprise that we do not trust our elected officials. With record high and persistent unemployment, crony capitalism, skyrocketing national debt, wasteful spending, voting for self enrichment rather than the good of the country, the inability to resolve major issues such as our failing schools and high health care costs, it should not be a surprise the trust level is so low, it is a surprise that there is any trust level at all.

Just more examples from our real life politicians and why several steps from “Love My Country, Loathe My Government” are critical in fixing what ails our political class and our democracy:

• Step 6 would allow only individual citizens to contribute to political campaigns, removing the money and corruption that comes when lobbyists, corporations, PACs, unions, and other political cronies get involved with our less than stellar politicians.
• Step 14 would stop the gerrymandering of Congressional districts.
• Step 34 would remove politicians from Congressional committees when those committees do not do their oversight jobs.
• Step 39 would impose strict term limits on all Federal politicians making their time office “one and done.”

An old saying goes as follows: “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” I think our writings on political class corruptions proves these points beyond a doubt.

But another saying, less well known, but also true, goes as follows: "Power corrupts but power also attracts the corruptible.” We need to change our political process so that not only do elected politicians behave and act with integrity but also that we start attracting Americans to politics that are not corruptible in the first place.

Our book, "Love My Country, Loathe My Government - Fifty First Steps To Restoring Our Freedom And Destroying The American Political Class" is now available at:

www.loathemygovernment.com

It is also available online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Please pass our message of freedom onward. Let your friends and family know about our websites and blogs, ask your library to carry the book, and respect freedom for both yourselves and others everyday.

Please visit the following sites for freedom:

http://www.reason.com/
http://www.cato.org/
http://www.robertringer.com/
http://realpolichick.blogspot.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08j0sYUOb5w