A Commentary On Policy Corruption

President Barack Obama meets with members of his Cabinet in the Cabinet Room of the White House, January 29, 2010. The President’s chair is marked with a plaque engraved with the date of his inauguration. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Intellectual And Policy Corruption -- Richard W. Rahn, Washington Times

Team Obama rewards its friends, punishes its foes.

Government corruption can take many forms. Last week, most of those forms could be seen in the actions of the Obama administration - everything from government officials taking simple bribes, to covering up wrongdoing, to using taxpayer money to pay off political supporters, to using government prosecutors to punish enemies, to failing to fulfill its fiduciary duty to citizens by not performing cost-benefit analyses before taking actions. Promulgating policies that knowingly hurt millions of people is far more serious than a government official requesting a cash bribe - as despicable as that may be. Pushing for tax increases without first getting rid of counterproductive or useless programs and cleaning up mismanagement is an example of policy corruption.

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My Comment: A hard hitting commentary .... and unfortunately so true.

Is Corruption The Greatest Threat To American Society?

Corruption Is Destroying The Soul Of US Society, Warns FBI Agent -- The Guardian

John Gillies attacks crooked officials, financial fraudsters and philandering sports heroes.

One of the FBI's top agents warned yesterday that corruption in the US was increasing and tearing at the fabric of society.

Special agent John Gillies, who has led major anti-corruption drives during his 27-year career with the bureau, focused his words primarily on crooked financiers and unscrupulous officials.

However, he added that sporting heroes such as Tiger Woods were also to blame, letting down children who saw them as role models. The golfer is currently embroiled in scandal since his high-profile car crash on 27 November. "Money can't buy everything," Gillies said.

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My Comment: I have been fortunate in my life to have visited and/or lived in over 40 countries. The countries that I never felt comfortable with were those countries that had a culture of corruption embedded into their society. Russia, China, Mexico and few other Central American states .... these countries were the worst of the lot, and they all shared a common denominator when it came to business and/or dealing with the government.

Corruption and payoffs were the rule, service and contract law delivered as an after thought. The worst perpetrators of such corruption were always those in senior positions in the Government. What made it worse was there was no office to go and complain to .... you either accepted the situation, or you moved on.

The U.S. is rapidly entering this club. When you read stories like this one, one realizes that this type of corruption is impacting our most senior political leaders. When former President Clinton and former Vice President Gore can become centi-millionaires in just a few years after leaving office .... something is wrong. Unfortunately .... there is no one to blame but us ... because let's face it .... we are always electing this bunch.

EDITORIAL: A Pay-To-Play White House

From The Washington Times:

Finally, it is clear what President Obama meant when he said this would be the most "transparent administration in history." He wasn't saying that his White House would be open and accountable; he was saying that his administration didn't feel much need to come up with plausible lies, they'd be fine using the transparent kind.

In the months since Mr. Obama took office, his administration has showered the Democratic Party's key fundraisers with insider briefings from administration staffers, access to the president and top aides and all the social perks that only the White House can bestow. The president, who ran for office saying he wanted to clean up fundraising, is perfectly happy to wallow in the cash-for-access mud pit.

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My Comment: And the mass media sleeps .....

How Did The U.S.A. Become ... The Sleaziest Country In The World?

From Canada.com:

Sex-addict senators, kidney-running rabbis, corrupt mayors.

It is at this time of year that I update my survey of world governance -- roughly shadowing the United Nations Human Development and Quality of Life Indices, and the World Economic Forum ratings of national investment climate.

Once again, Thailand wins in the category of political entertainment. Former premier Thaksin Shinawatra became a billionaire in the computer software business, founded the Thais Loving Thais political party to exploit rural discontent with the elites in Bangkok, was elected, abolished capital gains taxes ... and then sold his business for a capital gain of over $1-billion.

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John Edwards Is A Cad, His Wife's A Partner In Grime -- A Commentary

Democratic Presidential hopeful John Edwards hugs his wife Elizabeth while
they speak about her recurrence of cancer. AP

From The New York Daily News:

The news that federal prosecutors are investigating John Edwards' presidential campaign payments to his mistress brings a sense of satisfaction. The phoniest man in American politics is finally getting the comeuppance he so richly deserves.

With his $400 haircuts and investments in predatory lenders, all while saying ending poverty was a "moral issue" and the "cause of my life," Edwards set new standards for hypocrisy as he sought the Democratic nomination. His contrived compassion was a joke among rivals.

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Democrats Wallow In A 'Culture Of Corruption' -- A Commentary

President-elect Barack Obama will need to work effectively with Congress if he hopes to enact his legislative agenda. (WDCpix)

From The L.A. Times:

Meet the new political bosses, worse than the old political bosses.

Some days you have to ask yourself, my God, what if these people were Republicans?

Democrats took back Congress in 2006 and the presidency in 2008 in no small part because of their ability to bang their spoons on their high chairs about what they called the Republican "culture of corruption." Their choreographed outrage was coordinated with the precision of a North Korean missile launch pageant. And, to be fair, they had a point. The GOP did have its legitimate embarrassments. California Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham and lobbyist Jack Abramoff were fair game, and so was Rep. Mark Foley, the twisted Florida congressman who allegedly wanted male congressional pages cleaned and perfumed and brought to his tent, as it were.

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Is This The End Of America? -- A Commentary

From The National Post:

Helicopter Ben Bernanke’s Federal Reserve is dropping trillions of fresh paper dollars on the world economy, the President of the United States is cracking jokes on late night comedy shows, his energy minister is threatening a trade war over carbon emissions, his treasury secretary is dithering over a banking reform program amid rising concerns over his competence and a monumentally dysfunctional U.S. Congress is launching another public jihad against corporations and bankers.

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A Tyranny Of Mediocrity And Sleaze Posted -- A Commentary

House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (L) and Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd talk to reporters after their meeting to discuss the economic bailout plan in the Capitol in Washington September 25, 2008. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (Photo from Portland Tribune)

From Wizbang:

As discussed the other night, Democrats in Congress are in heat over the opportunity to impose wage restraints on bankers, so much so that they desired to inflict their punishment retroactively. Sadly, this shovel ready load of spite found its way into the stimulus bill as the House and Senate voted to limit future compensation for the denizens of Wall Street. It has been reported that President Obama is opposed to this measure, which is no surprise since the intended victims pour large sums of cash into Democrat coffers.

This particular piece of legislation was tucked inside the stimulus bill by none other than Senator Chris Dodd. Yes, the same Chris Dodd who personally benefited from VIP mortgage terms offered by one of these now pay restricted bankers (Mr. Angelo Mozilo of Bank Of America subsidiary Countrywide Financial). The irony in this saga is rich (pardon the pun). Senator Dodd, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, lined his own pockets with cash that came from what is now essentially a ward of the government. This sets a new standard for the term Sleaze Factor.

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