Blogging Blago

So the Governor of Illinois (an honorific more or less equivalent to “President of Zimbabwe”) has been arrested for egregiously tacky and ham-handed varieties of corruption (as opposed to the more gentlemanly kind displayed by, e.g., Ted Stevens). And of course there is great tut-tutting from the political class and various talking heads. But let's have a look at what he's been charged with. “Selling or trading the (Senate) office to the highest bidder” -- sounds bad, but what about the countless campaign supporters who have been awarded with ambassadorships, cabinet posts, and other high positions? Is that significantly different? Well then, how about “doling out jobs and contracts in return for campaign contributions”? Um... let's see... how long has it been since no one was rewarded with jobs and contracts (think “no bid”; think “Halliburton”) in return for campaign contributions or as a product of favoritism or cronyism? And how about trading favors in order to secure a “lucrative job” for his wife? Anybody remember Lady Bird Johnson's radio stations? And how about Hillary? Let's face it, folks – this is standard operating procedure and has been as long as anyone can remember. The corruption is not just of individuals within the system, but of the system itself. The president has the biggest pot of money on earth to hand out and, after all, he's only human, to there is a natural tendency to prefer one's family and “homies” to total strangers. And the same is even more the case at state, county, city, and local levels where there is less transparency and the people who want favors live right down the block and have your phone number on speed dial.

How to fix it? Start with Ron Paul's recommendations, which would give government at all levels much less money to squander – let's start with 10% of what they have now and work down from there. Then, prohibit anyone who is employed by the government, or depends on it, or benefits by it in any way, from voting. You want handouts and contracts and jobs? Fine. But you can't vote as long as you receive any of those things, and for five years after you stop receiving any of those things. I'm not saying that depriving someone of the “right to vote” will cure them of greed, but it will leave only people who aren't on the government dole voting... which could change a few things in the way of “entitlements”.

Let's start with those modest proposals, and we can fine-tune the system after we see how this works.