I’ve always had a healthy distrust of government. From the time as a college student working in the U.S. Capitol and state legislature, I have felt that many of our politicians are there to enhance themselves and not the public they represent.
Two more disgraced politicians hit the news last week. I would bet they represent a tip of the iceberg of so many others that haven’t been caught.
Sen. Robert Menendez, chairman of the powerful Foreign Relations Committee, was charged on September 22, on bribery and corruption charges. This is the second time the New Jersey Democrat has faced corruption charges. The first time, a few years back, he dodged jail, when the jury couldn’t decide whether he was guilty or innocent.
This time one would think prosecutors have enough evidence to convict him. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan accused Menendez, 69, and his wife of accepting gold bars and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash in exchange for the senator using his influence to aid Egypt’s government and interfere with law enforcement investigations of the businessmen.
Some of the cash was found sewn in jacket and suit coat pockets. Other cash and the gold bars were hidden throughout the Menendez Washington DC residence.
This is the guy the American people have entrusted as a leader with foreign relations. He has traveled the world on our behalf to ensure our safety and stature in the U.S. All the while however, if convicted, he will be caught literally lining his pockets with foreign cash.
BUT CORRUPTION IS NOT JUST a DC thing. I’ve seen it at the state level on several occasions, the latest being just this last week when former Michigan Republican Speaker of the House Rick Johnson was sentenced to 5.5 years in federal prison for taking bribes.
Johnson’s faux pax did not happen when he was in office, but rather after he was term limited and appointed to become Michigan first marijuana czar or in official terms the chairperson of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Licensing Board.
Johnson accepted bribes for favorable treatment by the Board. In one instance a man seeking marijuana licenses for two companies, John Dalaly provided Johnson with $68,200 in cash and other benefits including private charter flights. Of course, in return Johnson made sure the licenses were approved. By the way, Dalaly was sentenced to 28 months in federal prison. Maybe the two can bunk together.
For whatever reason, ordinary people that get elected to higher office sometimes succumb to the temptations brough forth by lobbyists or well healed constituents. It a phenomena that plays out far too often in our halls of governance.
I don’t have a magic wand to fix it. The obvious solution is for voters to do their homework and vote for people of high moral character, but sometimes the most educated voters are fooled. I do know we need to strip away many of the temptations. Lobbyists, I sometimes think, have more power than our actual elected representatives. We need to somehow limit their access to those in office. We need to limit their ability to spread money and gifts to those that vote in their favor.
Until then, we can only hope crooks like Menendez are caught and punished appropriately. My mistrust in government, however, makes me believe there are a whole slew of others getting away with it.