Exploring the Roots Corruption: How did we get here, and how do we get out?

Though it is not completely without a sense of schadenfreude that I watch the Chicago Democrat party implode, this recent Blagojavich scandle has gotten me thinking about the nature of political corruption in general.  And about the simple fact that, as much as we’d like it to be, the Republican Party is not immune to the corruption of power, any more than the Dems appear to be.

In recent years, voters have seen more than our share of corrupt politicians, engaged in everything from prostitution and sex scandles to buying votes on the senate floor to the pay-for-play antics like those of the Chicago Gov. 

But where does it come from?   Frankly, I believe it comes, primarily, from two places.  First, as the saying goes, “power corrupts.”  You’d have to ask a psychologist about the effects being voted into a position of authority can have on the ego.  But I think we can agree that those effects are certainly evident in many cases.  Secondly, put simply, we the voters allow them to get away with it — often with nothing more than a slap on the wrist, and occasionally, without even that.

Let’s explore this second point first, because I know some readers will have several probelms with the idea that we, the voters, are to blame for party and government leadership not holding politicians accountable.  Do you remember Bill Clinton?  That big, overblown scandal that occurred just because Bubba got a little head in the Oval Office?  People claimed that too big a deal was being made about the President’s extra-marital affairs.  Those merits can be argued (though, personally, I believe our leaders ought to be held to the highest of standards), but to do so misses the point entirely.  The problem wasn’t that he violated the sanctity of the Office, and potentially posed a national security risk by letting his intern go down on him in the National Holy of Holies.  The problem was simply that he broke the law.  He lied under oath.  That is a crime.  It is a small, white-collar crime, but illegal, nonetheless.  But the Gatekeepers of popular opinion (AKA the Mainstream Media), Congressional Democrats and even many voters chose to ignore this simple fact because, after all, he was the most powerful man in the world.  Surely such a small thing shouldn’t take down such a powerful person!

And it is precisely that attitude which allows corruption to flourish in state and national power center coutry-wide.  Those in a position of power should not be held to lower standards than the public, but higher.  Leaders lead.  When they fail to be good leaders, it becomes the duty of the citizen to disqualify them from the role.  And, if it is others in power to whom that duty falls, and they also fail in it, then it is our duty to vote them out as well, in favor of those with a correct view of authority.

The other problem goes back to that quote I mentioned: “Power corrupts.”  True enough.  But there’s that pesky follow-up: “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”  As more information about Blagojavich comes out, we find people talking about his “instability,” as though this were something about which many of those who helped get him into power already knew.  So why is it that they still worked to install him into the Governor’s chair?  Basically, because he was a Democrat. 

If it is indeed true that “power corrupts,” and that “absolute power corrupts absolutely,” it must also follow that the more power given to a person or entity, the more potential for corruption exists.  In short, the most basic reason corrupt officials keep getting elected is because we don’t have any other options.

The Party system controlling American politics ensures that only a select group are presented to the voters for election, and of that group, only two are actually serious contenders for a given election.  George Washington warned of exactly this circumstance, and has since been poo-pooed by even Conservatives as “out of touch.”  Nonetheless, it is indeed the Party system which denies the voter a real set of options, and continues to make possible the re-election of those who would sell us out for financial gain, those who disrespect the office to which they are called to serve and those to dishoner their country and fellow countrymen by acts unbecoming leaders.

I will go into greater detail on the party system and how it has corrupted American government at a later date.  For now though, we work with what we have. 

And what we have is a dirty system, peopled by dirty politicias.  It is time for a cleansing, in every party.  It is time, if we must deal within a party system, to stop allowing those who disgrace America leadership to continue to do so.  They are not serving us, but themselves, and it is high time they were routed out.  It is time for voters to make it our business to know what our elected officials are up to, what they know and what they do with that information, who they talk to, and what decisions they are making.

It is time to clean house, starting with Blagojavich, and anybody we can take down with him.  And when we’re done with him, it’s time to move on to national politicians.  Get mad, folks.  Get very mad.  And then, get even.

NPR: Wal-Mart Tragedy is… Wait For It… BUSH’s Fault!

Are there actually people who think this way?

According to NPR’s “Poet on Call,” Andrei Codrescu, the trampling to death of a Wal-Mart employee has been a long time coming — well, at least since 9/11.

And it wasn’t because of our collective sense of entitlement, borne by years of political correctness and official excuse-making for criminals, or because of our society’s loss of value in human life.  Of course not.

No.  It’s because George W. Bush told Americans to go shopping — and Americans, who disapprove of Bush, according to the Press, in near-astronomical numbers, all rallied to the cause with such fervor that they simply didn’t notice they’d killed a man.  They were too busy “Following orders.”

I’m astounded beyond words that this idiot is given a microphone.  Freedom of speech is one thing, but do we really have to encourage the mind-bogglingly stupid by paying them to talk in public?

Life’s Not Fair; Get Used To It

From the time my children were little, I’ve worked hard to get them to understand this concept. I’ve repeated it so many times that I know they now cringe any time they say “That’s not fair!”, because they know what’s coming as soon as those words leave their mouth. It’s something that I believe we’ve forgotten as a party, and need to embed in our political subconscious.

For as long as I can remember, the mainstream media organizations have treated the parties differently. They are only too willing to cover stories for one that they are also perfectly fine with ignoring for the other. I give you three examples of this phenomenon.

Breaking the Public Trust
Over a year ago, William Jefferson (D-LA-2) was indicted for accepting bribes. Six months ago, Ted Stevens (R-AK) was indicted for accepting for falsely reporting income. Both leaders have broken the public’s trust, but Congressman Jefferson’s bribery charges are much more serious. Yet, even before Senator Stevens’ conviction, the media treated his the more serious, while mostly ignoring Jefferson’s problems.

Sexual Misconduct
Consider the difference between how congressman Barney Frank, who’s partner was convicted of running a prostitution ring from his house was treated vs. congressman Mark Foley who sent inappropriate emails and instant messages to underage congressional pages. Personally, I consider the latter to be worse since it involved minors, but even senator Larry Craig was treated worse by the media for his actions.

Gaffes
The recent Presidential campaigns highlighted the differences in how the candidates were treated when they misspoke. Every gaffe from Obama (57 States) and Biden (TV in 1929, 3 Words) were mostly ignored, while the media was more than willing to invent things and propagate rumors about missteps by McCain and especially Palin.

The fact is, we are not on an even playing field, and we never will be. The media is now openly the propaganda wing of the Democratic Party; the general public admits this, yet it makes no difference in how they vote.

This is the political arena in which we toil, and it is not going to change any time soon. Some think it is enough to enlighten the masses. Surely, once they realize how unfair the playing field is, they will demand that it change. As we have seen in the last election, this just isn’t the case. We need a new strategy to work in this environment. To that end, I make the following proposals:

Stop whining about how unfair things are.
People don’t like to hear others whine, even if they have a legitimate case. Sure, the traditional media is against us. Whining about it not only doesn’t change that; it just turns people off. Instead, we need to do our best to get our story out in other ways, such as letters to the editor, blogs, conservative radio, and word-of-mouth. We can also use these means to answer the slurs against conservatism in general, and our candidates in particular.

Find a modern way to tell our ancient story.
Sure, it’s a cliché, but I think everyone here will agree that conservatism works every time it’s tried. I’ve heard many times over the course of the past few months that it’s much easier to sound-bite liberal talking points than conservative ones. Quite frankly, it doesn’t matter. We must find a way to communicate conservative points, and why they are better than liberal ones, in thirty seconds. It won’t be easy, but I believe it can be done.

We need to hit some singles first.
Sorry for the baseball analogy, but it is my favorite game. When you’re down eight runs, it’s not the time to hit the long ball. There aren’t any eight-run hits in this game. We’re down about as low as we can be, so it’s time to concentrate on the issues we think we can win. This means we’ve got to stop whining when our pet issue isn’t being addressed. For instance, how about we concern ourselves with making sure that women considering abortion have access to all the information they need before making that decision instead of going straight to the Human Life Amendment? There are other examples I could give, but I believe you get the point.

We need to be positive.
I hear people all the time saying we need to stop the negative campaigning. Sure, people love a good train wreck, but ultimately the positive message won this time (empty as it may have been). We’ve got to stop talking about what’s wrong with the other side and start talking about what’s right about ours. We need to constantly promote the positive conservative message of freedom, opportunity, and prosperity.

We have to break up the circular firing squad.
We need to stop attacking each other. Every issue cannot (and doesn’t need to) be addressed at the same time. That means your issue may have to wait. If we continue to attack each other when we don’t get our way, or disagree over the minutiae of each minor point, we’re never going to progress. Also, we also need to call out conservative pundits when they aren’t being conservative. We need to do what we can to let people know that certain experts don’t represent us. We have to be relentless about this like RedState was about Andrew Sullivan at The Atlantic for supporting the other side. We’ve either got to run these people out of business or force them to fully and openly admit they are not of us.

I believe we’ve got to constantly remember that life’s not fair, and we had better get used to it, otherwise, we’ll never be able to promote the freedom and opportunity that conservatism brings again.

Night Twister

The Obama Win: Come January

Congratulations to Barack Obama for a hard-won presidential election.  I won’t say it was well-played, because it was not — on either side.  But, the people have spoken and, sadly, it would appear they’ve grown weary of liberty, and have chosen instead to sacrifice it to the god of Financial Security.  History, it would seem, has not been as eloquent a teacher as Obama has been a communicator.  The irony is in how many of those voting for Obama were so very fond of paraphrasing Franklin: “those who would sacrifice liberty for security shall have none and deserve neither.”  And yet…

Does that sound bitter?  It isn’t.  I’m not even angry.  Just sad.

Democrat rhetoric during the last year or so has shown us, I think, the directions we’ll be looking as a nation, come January 2009.  In spite of the closeness of the election, there will be talk of “mandates,” and the Democrat win (aka the de facto ‘mandate of the people’) will be used as justification for more and more federal intrusion, higher taxes, and fewer freedoms.

People who sincerely love freedom, no matter who you voted for, I sincerely hope you watch this new administration closely.  I hope you watch for the erosion of our liberty — and I hope that, no matter who you voted for, you will fight to keep that freedom when the time comes.  This erosion is going to come in many small ways, from many directions.  It’s going to come as a gift — a trojan horse: in the form of healthcare, new entitlement benefits, new Social Security rules.  But these small intrusions will turn into larger ones.  These gifts will soon reveal their costs.  And, once the mistique wears off — once the thrill of making history has worn thin — we will perhaps begin, finally, to see what we have wrought.

Watch for a re-emergence of the so-called “fairness doctrine.”  The idea that freedom of speech only applies to private entities who willingly give up their podium to the opposition, in spite of the fact that the opposition controls the majority of the mass media, and suffers under no such requirement.  Make no mistake; this doctrine has nothing at all to do with fairness, and everything to do with silencing criticism of the establishment.  Congressional Democrats have long been vocal about their wishes in this matter, and Barack Obama will, given the chance, seek to abide by them.

Watch for unreasonable mandates to appear, with an aim toward crippling the energy industry as we know it.  And understand that, before those “evil” energy corporations go bankrupt, it will be you and I who first foot that bill.

Watch for “free healthcare” to become a mandate to business owners to pay beyond their means for employee benefits — benefits which were not negotiated between employer and employee, or even between employer and union, but instead introduced, coerced and enforced by federal government.  And watch the prices for simple goods and services skyrocket as business owners try to comply with federal law without going belly up.  And when the market finally ceases to be able to bear the burden, watch for the unemployment rate to acheive new highs.

Watch for the government to sieze control over your 401(k) as a means of alleviating the damage done by the collapsing economy, and place caps and limits on your retirement earning potential.

Will all of this happen under Barack Obama?  God willing, it will not.  But none of this is outside the realm of possibility, and, indeed, most of the policies listed are either direct interpretations of Obama’s own policies, or policy suggestions made within the Democrat Party.

This is History’s sad truth about handing over liberty for the sake of financial security: it doesn’t work.  It never has.  The most successful communist/socialist countries are either, like China, finding that they have to embrace some forms of Capitalism in order to stay afloat, or, like Cuba, are home to a vast population of the impoverished — but at least they have nice hospitals.   Most, however, either never make it out of third-world status or, like the USSR, finally kill off enough citizens to render itself unsustainable.

“Sell not virtue to purchase wealth, nor Liberty to purchase power.”
-Benjamin Frankin, Poor Richard’s Almanac, 1738

One Day Left: A Constitutional Conservative Looks at the ’08 Election

I can’t pretend I’m not going to be relieved when this circus of an election season is over.  As a Conservative, this cycle has been frustrating and exhausting — and, at times, exhilarating.  One of the most sobering realizations for a Conservative in these times is that the vote for a Third Party candidate is a wasted one.  And, this election, there have been times where that was exactly the direction I was heading.  Granted, in these times, their imminent slaughter is not the only reason I couldn’t in good conscience vote for a party that stands more closely to my own values (such as the Libertarian or Constitution parties), but my level of irritation at recent actions of certain Republicans has definitely made it an option worth considering.

Still, though my Republican-of-choice was not ultimately chosen as the GOP candidate (indeed, neither were my second or third options… in fact, McCain ranked pretty near the bottom, to be honest), I still determined early on that I would hold my nose and cast my vote. 

McCain has done much since that decision to secure my vote (and yes, for you naysayers, his selection of Palin as VP still ranks, for me, as one of his better decisions), and some to make me question it.  But over all, this election has, for most Conservatives I Know, never really been about John McCain.  It’s not been about George W. Bush.  This is not a year in which Conservatives, by and large, will be voting for a candidate, so much as against a set of ideals.

I’m not going to elaborate much on which ideals I’m against — a cursory glance through the various posts on this blog should provide plenty of insight into where I’m coming from.  But, for one thing, I’m against the idea that the Government has the moral authority to determine who deserves the money a man makes, for the simple reason that he happens to make more than some arbitrary amount.  Barack Obama is for this idea.

This alone, with no other considerations, is enough to make me vote against Obama.  As it turns out, there are other considerations.   Many others.  Abortion, gun control, Foreign policy, character, integrity… getting the idea?  But even without these other things, I could still not vote for Obama, because of the first.

A man, or a party, who has claimed moral authority over a man’s property or earnings has also claimed authority over that man’s liberty, because property and liberty are inseparable.  A governor who would make a man a slave to another in this way (because, really, this is the end result of wealth redistribution) is not a man of solid character.  He is untrustworthy as a leader — certainly as a leader of what was conceived as a nation of free men.

Barack Obama claims to know the Constitution.  Scripture says even the Devil knows the Bible.  The question, for me, is not whether Barack Obama knows the Constitution.  It is whether he honors it; whether he loves it — not just as a solid “political document,” but as the foundation of this country.  Does he understand the meanings of it, and the intent of the Founding Fathers — and does he agree to uphold those ideals?  Because if he does not — and indeed, recently uncovered interviews appear to suggest this very possibility — how can he take an oath swearing to do exactly that, and still hold himself an honest man?

A President and Vice President For Our Time

Today, we again find ourselves at a crossroads. The administrations of the Presidents since Reagan have worked to erode our freedom and opportunity since that time. Thankfully, our current President has kept us safe and fought against terrorism for the past eight years. His tax cuts have led to unprecedented growth and opportunity, but uncontrolled spending has brought us to the brink of financial disaster. Added to this are the socialist policies of the democrat party that have sought to completely undermine our financial system. Rather than acknowledge this, they seek to not only continue these policies, but to nationalize the financial institutions that are no longer solvent due to those policies.

The choice before us today is clear. We can choose to be led by a man without experience, who has been a part of the implementation of the very policies that has devastated our economy, who has never been proud of America, who pals around with domestic terrorists, who’s campaign has been involved in or turned a blind eye to corruption and hatred, and who offers only unspecified Hope and Change. If you listen closely, you’ll find out what that represents. Higher taxes, government handouts for people that don’t participate in the system, and a significant reduction of our freedoms.

Or we can chose to be led by a man that loves his country. This man has fought and sacrificed for his country his entire life. He’s made friends and foes on both sides of the aisle, but has always placed the good of his country over his own. A man with his qualifications and experience could have made millions in the private sector, but such a man is not motivated by money or power, but by love of country. This man is John Sidney McCain III. His campaign slogan says it clearly:

John McCain is the right man, at the right time, to make our nation great again. His priorities perfectly fit our needs at this critical time. John McCain will win the war, keep our nation safe, reduce government waste, eliminate the pork, stimulate our economy which will create jobs, and protect lives. Protecting lives includes those of our military, people at home and abroad, and most importantly, those that cannot defend themselves.

This leads me to John McCain’s most important decision; who would he select to fight this battle with him? There are those that would say words and rhetoric are most important. Those of us that have been around for some time know differently. We recognize that our even our children do not evaluate us based on what we say, but rather what they see us do. John McCain selected a running mate who shares his vision and hopes for America. Someone who has already reformed the government of one of our important States, and who has a genuine love for Country and for those who have challenges we cannot comprehend. This woman is Sarah Louise Heath Palin.

Sarah Palin’s rise has been fast and eventful. She took on the entrenched powers in both political parties in Alaska, reformed and cleaned up the government there (making enemies on both sides of the aisle along the way) to become one of the most popular Governors in the nation. At a time when less than 20% of the nation thinks our current leaders are taking us in the right direction, over 80% of those in Alaska believed Palin was doing the job the people sent her there to do.

More than this however, McCain’s selection of Palin shows that he is committed to the conservative principles of life and freedom that we hold dear. Her choice to bring her child to term, even with the knowledge that he would suffer from the terrible disability of Downs Syndrome, shows her commitment to the sanctity of all life. She has already shown on the campaign trail that she will work hard to be an advocate and voice for those that do not have one on their own.

John McCain is the right man at the right time for our nation. He will lead our nation with honor and keep us that shining beacon on a hill. Sarah Palin is the right woman for now, and for our future.

I hope you will join me in voting for McCain/Palin for President and Vice President of the United States on November 4th, 2008.

Night Twister

Happy Halloween

Hey, I’m a busy guy, and the election is almost upon us.  Almost everything that needs to be said has been said.  People are either going to vote capitalism or socialism on Nov. 4, and I can now only pray the right choice is made.  I may or may not post again between now and then — hopefully time will permit.  In the meantime, this was sent to me, and I found it fitting.

Happy Halloween

I Am Joe

H/T to Iowahawk
H/T to Moe Lane at RedState.

I’m a 49-year-old computer systems administrator with six children. I live an average middle-class life in middle America. I don’t need anyone in government telling me how I should share my wealth. I don’t need a handout either.

I already have a Messiah, and his name is Jesus Christ. I’ve made many mistakes in my life, and they aren’t the fault of my parents, or my teachers or my bosses. I take fully responsibility for my failures and successes.

Like Iowahawk, Moe, and many other Americans,

Don’t let the liberals that want to take away your success get away with destroying Joe the Plumber’s life because he asked Barack Obama a tough question.

Night Twister

McCain & Palin Should Embrace Troopergate

Scott Ott of Scrappleface fame has written a serious blog at Townhall about the investigation and report into the dismissal of Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan.

The investigator makes the claim that Palin abused her power as governor of Alaska by failing to restrain her husband from pushing for the trooper’s dismissal. The state trooper, Mike Wooten, was guilty of some rather serious crimes for which he has still not had to answer for.

He tasered a 10-year-old boy (his own stepson), drank beer in his squad car, and illegally gunned down a moose.

Wooten was married to Todd Palin’s sister, and the two went through quite a nasty divorce. There are also reports of threats made by the trooper against his former wife and family.

Palin claims Monegan was dismissed for disagreements over budgetary issues and direct insubordination in other areas. The investigator agreed, and found that Palin had valid reasons to dismiss him.

Sarah Palin made a number of enemies on both sides of the aisle in Alaska due to her efforts to reform the government and root out the corruption. This investigation was nothing more than people trying to get even for what she did, and to embarrass her after she was nominated as the Republican Vice Presidential candidate.

There’s lots more over at Townhall, and I recommend you read the entire article. Scott most certainly has it right when he says,

Republicans should embrace it as a way of telling the story of why government must be reformed. It is the perfect picture of how government bureaucracies shield the incompetent and immoral among them, and waste taxpayer dollars trying to nail concerned citizens who cry ‘foul’.

Night Twister

Why is the Loony Left so Hateful, anyway?

I recently picked up a copy of Misunderestimated (Bill Sammon, 2004), an excellent book so far, and one that I would recommend to anyone interested in hearing unfiltered truth about President Bush and his administration.  The first chapter in this book is called “Rise of the Bush Haters,” and talks about the devolution from simple political discourse to the hate-filled rants, violence and liberal vitriol that Rush Limbaugh comically calls BDS — Bush Derangement Syndrome.

The opening scene is one of GWB staring in bewilderment at the hate-filled mob in Portland, OR, as they carried signs reflecting complete misapprehension of history and hurled rocks, vegetables and insults at police and the President’s motorcade — all in the name of peace. These warriors for peace would go on to bully and intimidate Bush supporters and bystanders who happened to be staying in the same hotel. They would also attack police cars, push the police line — injuring at least one cop in the process — and then cry “peaceful protest” as the officers responded with pepper spray and mace.

From Portland to the rest of the nation, this virus of hatred and spite would spread like wildfire among the ranks of netroots and liberal elite alike.

I’ve been watching this curious development for a few years now, but it wasn’t until my children turned three that I really began to understand it.  When my children want something, in general, they first ask politely.  If I say no, they start to become belligerent.  When I say no again, they become more so.  If not nipped in the bud, this behavior will quickly develop into name-calling, throwing things — and ultimately result in them being sent to bed.  Behavior very similar to what took place in Portland in 2002 and has been going on ever since.

So what happened?  Is it all about Bush?  The vitriolic protests against Sarah Palin and other conservatives suggest that no, this is not really much about Bush at all.  This is about a group of people who believe themselves to be better and smarter than the average person, and their failure to understand why the rest of the world doesn’t seem to grasp their genius and just obey them.  It’s about a level of frustration that Bush got elected to a second term — and that a Democrat, namely Barack Obama, could possibly be so close to losing this election.  This frustration has smoldered until it has turned to anger — and from anger to pure and total contempt.

But it goes still deeper, I think.  When these liberal elites get frustrated, they go off-script.  Obama himself is a good model for liberal psychology in this way.  When Obama gets flabbergasted or angry, he goes off-script and accidentally says what he really means.  That’s where comments like the now-infamous “bitter clinger” remark come from.  When you frustrate a liberal beyond his ability to cope, you meet the real man.  And that man is not a pleasant one to behold.

So, knowing this, how then does the Conservative respond?  This new brand of liberal, like children, act and react based purely on emotion and feeling.  As puerile as as it may seem to us, what we’re observing when we see these violent and noisy protests is essentially a mass temper-tantrum.  Is there a right way to deal with this nonsense?

My fellow independent thinker and RedState poster NightTwister was good enough to offer me some parenting advice.  Advice that, given the parallel behavior from the moveon.org crowd, we may all do well to heed:

Best solution is to tell them once.  If they become belligerent, ignore it.  They’ll still escelate, but when they see that it’s not getting a response, they’ll quit doing it.  If they throw themselves on the floor, just walk over them, paying no attention at all.

Good advice indeed.

–streu–