The House ethics committee ruled Friday that seven lawmakers who steered hundreds of millions of dollars in largely no-bid contracts to clients of a lobbying firm had not violated any rules or laws by also collecting large campaign donations from those contractors.
I had to read the above paragraph a few times just to be certain it wasn’t some sort of joke. Then it dawned on me that April Fools Day is a month off. The moral of the story is that, if employed properly, a Congressional sinecure can be a fabulous way to enrich oneself. In fact, the way things work now in Congress, you have to work hard NOT to have your wallet stuffed by corporate interests willing to willing to perform something close to fellatio on Congresscritters. How long before these folks actually DO show up with a pair of kneepads and a tube of AstroGlide
I neither know nor much care about the details of this particular decision. What I do care about is the precedent it sets and the message it sends. As if Americans didn’t already have enough reason to hate and distrust their government, those who they’ve elected to that government are confirming the reasons for the hatred and mistrust. Congress is no longer about taking care of the People’s business. It’s no longer about good governance. It’s no longer about ensuring that America remains a good and reliable influence around the world. No, it’s really all about ensuring that corporate interests have their interests served. And if elected officials happen to get rich along the way…well, if you don’t like it, then YOU can damn well run for Congress….
Good governance seems to be going the way of the buffalo…especially in an era where corporations are now considered to be people, with all the attendant rights to participate in the democratic process. Money has so thoroughly corrupted American democracy that I fear corruption is no longer the exception; it’s the rule. It would difficult to miss the reality that we no longer live in an era when good, committed people can make a difference. We now live in an era when good, committed people more often than not are co-opted and corrupted by the obscene sums of money being thrown at them. And even they aren’t corrupted during their time in office, many Congresscritters end up in lucrative lobbying jobs once they leave office. In this day and age, a Congressional seat is too often little for than an apprenticeship for a lobbying firm. Build your Rolodex, learn the ropes…and then cash in.
Welcome to the finest democracy money can buy. WE DESERVE BETTER.
