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September 30, 2005
What to do about Tom DeLay?
With the recent indictment of Tom DeLay for conspiracy, other corruption has become apparent such as with Harry Reid. Tom DeLay engaged in travel plans some consider unethical, however, in the aftermath of that scandal over 200 Congressmen (from both parties) has to "revise" their travel documentation. Regardless of party, one does not need to look far for corruption. The grassroots on both sides is not particularly enamored with it either.
Some think it's the end of the Republican Party, but one only needs to look to Illinois to see how this will play out. Illinois has a governor with approval ratings even lower than President Bush. The current governor, a Chicago Democrat, got into office because the prior Republican administration is corrupt. When a Chicago Democrat runs on the platform to clean up Springfield and the voters buy it, you know you have problems. Now corruption is king (or rather still is king) and the Republicans are running on the platform of throwing out the Dem corrupt cronies. No one is buying so they Republicans are drafting a favored governor (Jim Edgar) from yesteryear to run again. The only problem is that he taught George Ryan everything he knows and while corrupt, wasn't as extreme as Ryan. That aside, Jim Edgar has announced he wants nothing to do with it.
My suggestion to deal with DeLay's supposed corruption? (Supposed because it took, what, 6 grand juries to find anything on him?) Massive blood-letting. Let's have both parties, everyone from the top all the way down to village dog catcher engage in a legal battle royale of corruption investigations. No matter where you are on the political spectrum, you think some political officials are corrupt. It's time to get this all out on the table because you know several hundred Congressmen have some crimes they want to hide. We can talk about some of the prior scandals (the House banking scandal for instance) but let the gloves come off and drop the "good 'ole boy" attitude and let them viciously attack each other in the criminal system.
One, it will go a long way to getting to corruption and waste out of government. Politicians get away with this because they never pay the piper. Take a look at the highway bill and how much pork and vote buying is there. If you want corruption out of politics, this is what it takes. I may be conservative, but I'm no fool. I know there are corrupt Republicans out there, and its time for them to pay the piper too.
Two, it emphasizes and underscores why we need limited government. Government needs to be big to be corrupt. If it doesn't have $2.2 trillion dollars to throw around, it becomes much harder for them to get companies to start bribing them. There aren't kickbacks on the $1,000 orders I do for work, for good reason. It's time to downsize the government and let the local entities do the social work of government. At the lowest level, we can at least keep an eye on them. I know where the mayor of my town lives and I can call him up at home right now. Good luck trying to get in touch with the President. Or Tom DeLay for that matter.
This presents a golden opportunity for those who believe in limited government. There are greedy people in the world and they want money and power. A massive corruption investigation, top to bottom, complete with jail sentences will make politicians have second thoughts the next time they want to shovel some cash to contributors to their campaigns. If I stole $500, I'd be doing time right now. It's time for those who have stolen so much more than that and wasted the rest to have their day in court.
Links: Cao, Wizbang, Michelle Malkin, Powerline, Captain's Quarters, et al
Posted by John Bambenek at September 30, 2005 2:26 PM
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Comments
Sounds good to me!
The whole system is so stinkingly corrupt with corporate bribery it is disgusting.
Total public financing of all campaigns is a long overdue fix.
Posted by: Vinnie at September 30, 2005 2:57 PM
Mr Earle better have the goods because if he doesn't he is finished.
Another example how Harry Ried is a MINO "Mormon in Name Only"
Posted by: Ken Bingham at September 30, 2005 3:54 PM
John, Do you ever wonder why committees,investigations, blue ribbon panels, junkets abroad, fundraising and media events, are the only things our elected officals are good at?
They are impotent when it comes to protecting our borders, fighting crime or poverty, They can't balance a budget even in the best of times. Their salary, staff salaries, protection costs, traveling costs, franking costs, office space costs, and the many other perks are more than they are worth, much more. If I did my job as poorly as this bunch in Washington do theirs...I'd be unemployed. Instead of tackling the hard questions our nation is faced with, they are content to play "got ya Tom". This takes the spotlight off of their failures, and we will be treated to a media blitz for weeks about this.
I have not seen so many happy faces in the media and the Democrat ranks, since this all came down. The media has become so intertwined with the DNC, it is hard to figure out who is the happiest about this sham of justice. I am not the biggest fan of Tom DeLay, but he is good at what he does, and the Democrats and Media hate him. A ringing endorsement....if the DNC and MainSewer Media hate you, You have a badge of honor in my book.
This whole Tom DeLay Indictment is a sham, but it tells us there is something very wrong in Washington D.C.
Posted by: web_loafer at October 1, 2005 1:39 AM
Hey, at least donor-financed campaigns are only spending money that was _voluntarily_ given to them. To be honest, I really don't care that much about someone buying votes with his own money. It's when they buy votes with MY money that I get really ANGRY about it.
The problem is, most of the vote-buying-with-stolen-money cases aren't widely considered "corruption", and so will never be prosecuted no matter what happens.
Posted by: Matt at October 1, 2005 2:04 AM
Stop Supporting Corporations that Donate to the Republicans. Tom Delay is a perfect example.
Go To
http://www.buyblue.org/directory/alpha
Then tell all your friends.
You should especially look into supporting "Progressive" Car Insurance and "Working Assets" Long Distance and Wireless company. They donate heavily to the Democrats.
REPONSE:
Next time some liberal talks about divisiveness, point them to this. There is no Republican effort to support only GOP friendly businesses.
Posted by: asdf adf at October 2, 2005 8:37 AM
GOOD CALL!
The orruption in both parties is inherent. This is why I left the Democratic Party over the summer. They are almost as corrupt as the Republican Party and I refuse to have anything to do with supporting it. I think you are right about having all-out corruption investigations into both parties but I want to go a step further. I want to find a way to get Americans to stop voting party line and start voting with their brains. If everyone would stop playing sheep and doing what they are told by their party leadership, we could cut the corruption in half right there. The ivnestigations would do most of the rest. Maybe, for the first time since George Washington, we could have a decent and fairly non-corrupt government. GOOD POST!
RESPONSE:
I'm not sure people would stop voting party-line any time soon. Most people don't have the time an inclination to try to figure out were politicians stand because most of them don't answer direct questions with direct answers. They babble on about "I'm for working families" and other such no-content phrases. That's why I think a battle royale of corruption investigations would be good. Both parties just clubbing each other with no holds barred in the criminal system. That would keep corruption down because you could count on the other party to expose it and send you to jail. Now, they all wink at each other.
Posted by: Joseph (OK Liberal) at October 2, 2005 11:42 AM
Tom Delay is a perfect example of why you should not support corporations that donate to conservatives. Take your money elsewhere.
Vote with your wallet.
Here is a list of corporations and there political affiliation.
http://www.buyblue.org/directory/alpha
These two corporations contribute and donate the most to the Progressive Liberal movement. They are "Working Assets" long distance and wireless, and "Progressive Auto Insurance".
www.workingassets.com
www.progressive.com
Please tell your friends about these websites. Feel free to cut and copy this to other blogs, message boards, and email.
RESPONSE:
Versus spending money on corporations that give their money to corrupt Democrats... THAT'S much better.
Posted by: RealityCheckMate at October 3, 2005 6:21 PM
The idea of a totally bi-partisan, corruption hunting free-for-all is great. But as to local political entities providing an alternative to corruption from above, think again. The real problem is money from above. The more of it arrives, the more it feeds the taste for power that drives the majority of politicians. Even those in tiny towns...
Posted by: Carola Solomonoff at October 4, 2005 10:16 AM
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