Lord Acton famously said “power corrupts”. He added, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely” but that is less important. Politics rarely finds a disinterested participant. Almost all people who enter politics, or at least remain there for any time, do so for reasons of ego gratification. That is not to say that such a person is incapable of doing good or even saving his country, as in the examples of Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln. Neither was a conscript. William Sherman was famously aware of the corruption of politics and refused multiple entreaties to enter. That biography is incorrect in one respect. It says He never commanded in a major Union victory. The reason for this error is well explained in Liddell Hart’s biography as he points out that Sherman consistently outmaneuvered his opponent, the very able Confederate general Joe Johnston. Johnston was forced to keep retreating as Sherman maneuvered, avoiding the bloody battles of that era. Johnston was finally retired by the Confederate leaders, a serious error on their part, and his appreciation of Sherman’s skill and humanity was such that he was a pallbearer at Sherman’s funeral in 1891.
Unfortunately men of Sherman’s caliber are even more assiduous in avoiding politics these days. The result, we see. On the national stage, a Republican Party that took Congress in 1994 on a pledge to cut spending and clean up government, was ousted from power in 2006 in a miasma of scandals and broken promises. The current token for reckless and corrupt spending is the practice of earmarks, extra-legal spending items inserted into legislation after it is passed to reward campaign contributers in the shadows. These earmarks are not law but they have resulted in directing government largess to favored companies and communities in a quid pro quo of favors and money. Members of Congress employ each other’s relatives, or their own relatives as standards on nepotism decline to undetectable levels. Richard Nixon was once attacked for having his wife work in his office. He was able to defend himself only by pointing out that she drew no salary and was thus saving the government money. Since those days, Congressional staffs have grown enormous and relatives adorn these staffs like plums in a huge pudding.
A reaction to the corruption has resulted in the formation of a group called Porkbusters. The group has been campaigning for appointment of anti-corruption Congressman Jeff Flake of Arizona to the Appropriations Committee of the House. The committee ignored this initiative and appointed a good-ol boy from Alabama who boasts of his earmarks for his district. Reaction has not been positive.
The appropriations committee came to a fork in the road, and they went in the wrong direction,” said David Williams, vice president for policy at Citizens Against Government Waste, which gave Bonner a low rating on its most recent report card.
Bonner’s reply ?
“One of my many goals in Congress is to ensure the people of south Alabama get a significant return on their investment in the federal government (taxes). I am here to offer assistance in helping — where appropriate — to return to the people of the First District the tax dollars they send to Washington.”
There you have it. I would add that local government is not rolling in the money that Congress dispenses but they are still capable of getting into trouble. This is a guy I supported for City Council in Mission Viejo, but once in office, he began to meet “new friends” and forgot who the people were who helped him to office. Now he hobnobs with LA Times reporters and rich developers. It is tough to resist temptation but we could hope for a few honest politicians.
Clausewitz once said “Laws are like sausages. The less you know about how they are made, the better you sleep.” I wish it were not so true.
>>>>The current token for reckless and corrupt spending is the practice of earmarks
“Looting” is my term of reference on these matters. I think we can rate societies by the amount of looting. Some people saw fit to use the parchments of Alexandria as firewood. I would not rate that society very high.
When the yoke of Saddam was lifted from Iraq, museums with international treasures were looted. I suppose every society has their crass looters, but I think it is telling that the populace couldn’t garner enough mojo to guard their accomplishments.
In the US we have the “Robert Byrd effect”: Congress people campaign on the need for seniority, so they can attain the level of Robert Byrd, and thus start looting the Federal Budget for the hometown folks. I think voters need to start thinking of the greater good, and vote these looters out of office.
I’m reminded of a science fiction novella where the premise was that life extending technology had become available to the wealthy and powerful. Consequently, a few Senators had built powerful political fiefdoms exempt from any election recall, so the political discourse consisted of groups trying to assassinate these “pillboxed” senators.
Much of the Iraqi looting, not all, was actually custodians hiding treasures that reappeared after the situation stabilized. Some did appear on the international antiquities market but more than half was being hidden.