The Price of Pay-to-Play
…Pay-to-play is a staple of bad government. Proving an actual quid pro quo that can be prosecuted can be difficult, especially under porous state laws. But appearances — the fawning recipient, the deep-pocketed donor — taint all politicians. And pleas of “I didn’t know,” or “everyone else does it” aren’t fit for middle-schoolers let alone elected leaders.
What’s needed is some courage in statehouses to fix the shoddy campaign-finance rules and laissez-faire lobbying privileges and impose bans on “fact-finding” junkets and other “honest graft” for legislators. Clear rules would remove any doubt, and any temptation.
Of course, the most brazen episode of pay-to-play of late is Gov. Rod Blagojevich of Illinois. He is charged with trying to auction off the United States Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama. The now-impeached governor wound up arrested, begging for someone to take the seat off his hands for nothing — with the rest of us shuddering at the spectacle.
2 comments:
Indeed, pay to play is the biggest problem America has ever faced and while I've little doubt it has always gone on I fear it is at an all time high.
If we can get it fixed in Greensboro, we could attract a boat load of businesses looking to relocate to a community with a level playing field. I believe Pay to Play laws may be a better reqruiting tool than anything the powers that be have come up with, because most of what they have come up with seems to benefit, indirectly or otherwize, themselves. Why would any business who does thier homework want to move to a place where the local wheels need greased?
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