Washingto: den of corruption?

I just read an intriguing account of an interview between a current events and special interest weekly tv program entitled "60 Minutes" and a man by the name of Jack Abrahamoff. The latter was jailed about 4 years ago for corruption as a Washington lobbyist. He is sorry and in his efforts to seek forgiveness he is telling all, or at least a lot.

He insists that Washington remains a den of corruption and that legislative action geared to suit one's particular needs can be easily bought if one has enough money. His MO was to snuggle up to congressional aides, preferably chief aids, and at an appropriate moment offer them an extremely high paying job at Jack's lobbying firm after the staffers leave their current jobs. Through this technique, says Jack, he was able to 'own' the staffers who in turn gave him priority access to the elected officials for whom they worked. Two such elected officials were brought down with Jack, one of whom was from Texas, Tom Delay.

That's another sordid story.

How sad it is to find such extensive corruption in contemporary Western institutions. Everything we were taught in primary and secondary school about our government and how it works was a big lie. I doubt our teachers were party to the lie, as they too were victims of government propaganda about its integrity, morality and sanctity. I even carried these beliefs with me to Africa and Asia during my 30 years tour as a development consultant. It was absolutely shocking to return home to find that the difference in corruption in the third world and the USA was that in the USA we can afford it.

As the onion of corruption is peeled, one becomes less and less enamored with and interested in our dear leaders in Washington, our state capitals and our counties and cities. The new law of governance is that the wheels of the US bureaucracy are greased with payoffs. Our national civil service is an employment agency managed by the administration in power to reward supporters.

Democracy is a cover for political party machines to secure and sustain power in conjunction with commercial and industrial giants who rely on government contracts, or legislation, to maintain their corporate status and rank. Honesty and good intentions are no longer of any significance and those who might initially subscribe to such naivete are soon turned by their seniors and mentors into functioning parts of the political machinery. The slim few who still adhere to the concept of statesmanship are but voices crying in the wilderness.

There is no turning back; no bloodless means by which we can regain credibility among the electorate. Indeed, credibility among the ruling elites of other world nations is gained not by our integrity and honesty, but by our skill at maintaining power while balancing competing and corrupt interests. While we once abhorred corruption in countries like China and India, we now take lessons from them. Those few who are exposed and persecuted for corruption are not the victims of crime as much as victims of having embarrassed the administration or senior members of congress.

This is all a bit unnerving as admission of our deteriorating ethics offers little insight into where the loyal citizen should bestow support, assistance and indeed monetary contributions. In a deeper vein, many Americans are confused and confounded by what do to by way of making improvements. A critical mass is lacking to foster revolution, but the day will come when the public will explode over governments indifference, self interest, elitism, lack of empathy, inability to solve problems and constant propagandizing about what it will one day achieve.

Tension is mounting, especially among youth and the unemployed. Wages are largely frozen (for those who are employed) while the cost of living is skyrocketing. Government is seemingly powerless and whatever it proposes in the form of solutions is immediately castigated by the opposition. Our finance and banking sector is out of control and has been handsomely rewarded for corruption and incompetence. Wall Street does whatever it wants with an occasional slap on the wrist followed by the issue of huge bonuses.

Yet, we are told, we will never achieve wealth by making rich people poor. Riding on the back of that caveat, rich men have been lining their pockets with reckless abandon. Such behavior prevails while many, many, American families work two jobs just to keep up, not to get ahead. I also read that many jobless people have simply given up trying to find permanent work and to file for unemployment. The paperwork involved in the latter is not worth the effort. Black economies result, as does crime.