Hard evidence of the "culture of corruption"

[techweenie]

This is kinda sad, really. A Vietnam fighter ace just trashed all his prior accomplishments...

From Cash to Yachts, Convicted Congressman Set Bribery Rates

Court Documents Show Randall 'Duke' Cunningham Set Bribery Rates

By BRIAN ROSS

Feb. 27, 2006 � Prosecutors call it a corruption case with no parallel in the long history of the U.S. Congress. And it keeps getting worse. Convicted Rep. Randall "Duke" Cunningham actually priced the illegal services he provided.

Prices came in the form of a "bribe menu" that detailed how much it would cost contractors to essentially order multimillion-dollar government contracts, according to documents submitted by federal prosecutors for Cunningham's sentencing hearing this Friday.

"The length, breadth and depth of Cunningham's crimes," the sentencing memorandum states, "are unprecedented for a sitting member of Congress."

-----------------full stoy--------------

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=1667009&page=1

[lendaddy]

I read this and admit I was shocked. I cannot imagine the boldness of this. I also cannot believe his fellow congressmen did not know. This has to be deeper than one man.

[Mulhollanddose]

I wish the Democrats were 10% as concerned with the corruption in their own party...For Democrats to manufacture the sound bite "culture of corruption" is laughable...It wasn't too long ago that Al Gore's response to illegal fundraising from the Chinese military was that there was "no controlling legal authority," to prosecute that Administrations blatant crimes...Many fell around the Clintons and for some reason the Clintons themselves were regarded as innocent...Now Cunningham I can totally understand as a much greater villain.

[techweenie]

Originally posted by lendaddy
I read this and admit I was shocked. I cannot imagine the boldness of this. I also cannot believe his fellow congressmen did not know. This has to be deeper than one man.

You'd think so. When somebody publishes a 'menu' of what they get for a specific brbe amount, you get the impression that people they keep company with also have that kind of worldview.

[lendaddy]

Originally posted by techweenie
You'd think so. When somebody publishes a 'menu' of what they get for a specific brbe amount, you get the impression that people they keep company with also have that kind of worldview.

Exactly. People tend to give other people too much credit. Imagine you are a lobbiest "working" Duke. You pay your admission and realize a result. Next month you are given an assignment with a different congressman....what do you think your road to success looks like?????? It wouldn't have taken this long to expose him if the second congressman in line had ANY honor.

[techweenie]

Originally posted by lendaddy
Exactly. People tend to give other people too much credit. Imagine you are a lobbiest "working" Duke. You pay your admission and realize a result. Next month you are given an assignment with a different congressman....what do you think your road to success looks like?????? It wouldn't have taken this long to expose him if the second congressman in line had ANY honor.

Would you support, say, an 8-year moratorium on lobbying activities for any elected or appointed senior Federal official?

[Tobra]

I had to laugh when I first heard the "culture of corruption" thing, as if no Democrat had soiled themselves. Politicians are all scumbags, anyone who thinks either party has a monopoly on it are naive enough to wonder how they could have survived to adulthood

[lendaddy]

Originally posted by techweenie
Would you support, say, an 8-year moratorium on lobbying activities for any elected or appointed senior Federal official?

Lifetime, why fukc around?

[Mulhollanddose]

Originally posted by Tobra
I had to laugh when I first heard the "culture of corruption" thing, as if no Democrat had soiled themselves. Politicians are all scumbags, anyone who thinks either party has a monopoly on it are naive enough to wonder how they could have survived to adulthood

The level of Republican corruption doesn't come close to that of the Democrats, but for some odd reason the media just tends not to focus on that dirty little memory-holed secret much.

[lendaddy]

The Democrats connection to unions like the Teamsters and the Longshoreman all but guarantees corruption. There is no highhorse in this race.

[Rick Lee]

Originally posted by techweenie
Would you support, say, an 8-year moratorium on lobbying activities for any elected or appointed senior Federal official?

Lobbying is petitioning the government for a redress of grievances. So even a one-year moratorium (current law) seems to me to be a gross violation of the First Amendment. The real problem is the largesse the government controls and is able to hand out to the smartest players. Just ask Microsoft. Before they got slammed, they had zero lobbying presence in Washington because they didn't think they needed it. Now they have an army. You gotsta pay your protection money to keep the government off your back. As long as the gov't. can pick and choose which businesses they want to go after or reward, there will always be lobbying. And no ban or registration law or moratorium will make a bit of difference. Plenty of elected reps. have seven figure offers before they even leave office and that's with the current one-year ban in place.

[lendaddy]

I thought of that before Rick. but would it be a violation of their rights if they knew it was a condition of election?

[Rick Lee]

Originally posted by lendaddy
I thought of that before Rick. but would it be a violation of their rights if they knew it was a condition of election?

What other types of jobs do you know of that require you to sign away any of your Constitutional rights? And why would you expect those jobs to attract the best and brightest?

Thomas Sowell had a great column in which he suggested we pay each elected official $10 million per year but mandate all candidates self-finance their campaigns and we ban fed. election fundraising. It would be a fraction of 1% of the fed. budget. A six year Senate term would pay $60 million, which is still a very good living and enough to wage a reelection campaign in the most expensive states. Take away the fundraising and there goes a lot of the incentive for elected officials to cater to lobbyists.

[fastpat]

Originally posted by techweenie
Would you support, say, an 8-year moratorium on lobbying activities for any elected or appointed senior Federal official?

Absolutely not. That would require a Constitutional Amendment, and I'd be completely opposed to this infringment on speaking to representatives.

Now, an 8-year, or longer, moratorium on legislation except for repeals, that would get my complete support.

[fastpat]

Originally posted by lendaddy
I thought of that before Rick. but would it be a violation of their rights if they knew it was a condition of election?

It's a violation of the powers retained by the citizenry by an article of the Constitution itself.

It violates our rights.

[lendaddy]

Originally posted by Rick Lee
What other types of jobs do you know of that require you to sign away any of your Constitutional rights? And why would you expect those jobs to attract the best and brightest?

Well, we could get into non-compete clauses etc.. but really the point is that it's voluntary.

[fastpat]

Originally posted by Rick Lee
What other types of jobs do you know of that require you to sign away any of your Constitutional rights? And why would you expect those jobs to attract the best and brightest?

Thomas Sowell had a great column in which he suggested we pay each elected official $10 million per year but mandate all candidates self-finance their campaigns and we ban fed. election fundraising. It would be a fraction of 1% of the fed. budget. A six year Senate term would pay $60 million, which is still a very good living and enough to wage a reelection campaign in the most expensive states. Take away the fundraising and there goes a lot of the incentive for elected officials to cater to lobbyists.

They wouldn't have to cater to anyone, at all, including you and me.

[fastpat]

Originally posted by Mulhollanddose
The level of Republican corruption doesn't come close to that of the Democrats, but for some odd reason the media just tends not to focus on that dirty little memory-holed secret much.

Yes, actually it is about the same in both parties.

[Dantilla]

Term limits.

Go do a stint in government, and go back to your real job after a few years. There should be no pensions whatsoever for elected officials.

That would minimize the corruption, and insure that congress stops writing exemptions for themselves.

[Rick Lee]

Originally posted by fastpat
Yes, actually it is about the same in both parties.

You're right. But for some reason, the GOP's woes get a lot more attention. Even after a Wash. Post story, this guy is still an unknown.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/15/AR2006021502752.html