The More Powerful the Politicians, The More
the Incentive To Bribe Them, 8/23/2016, By Chris Rossini
Every day we hear complaints about "money in politics" and how the American government is corrupt to the core. It's very true, but the proper solutions are nowhere to be found in mainstream America. If government strictly operated to punish the aggressive use of force and fraudulent activity, there would be very little incentive to bribe politicians.
However,
when government is viewed as an avenue to get something for nothing and to get
special economic privileges, the floodgates must open in order to buy political
influence. Under such a system, those with the deepest pockets must win.
Sadly, it has been accepted in America that government should intrude into every aspect of our lives. Politicians, of course, love the idea. Control freaks love to control. The more control they're given, the more money must flow into their pockets to dictate which way to tilt the tables.
No one likes to have government force used against themselves. Let the other guy suffer. So money acts as a form of protection. "Leave me alone Mr. Politician, and here's enough money to buy your family a new yacht."
Can a person with modest means offer politicians the same deal? Of course not! A person with modest means has nothing to offer the politician.
Not only is money used as protection, but it's also used to gain special legal privileges. The more powerful and intrusive the government, the more privileges it's able to bestow. Who do you think gets those privileges? The guy with moths flying out of his wallet? Or the guy that can send the politician's kid to Harvard?
The problem that Americans are having is that they seem to want a big and intrusive government, but they don't want the government to do the rich guy's bidding. Tough luck! You can't have your government cake and eat it too.
If you really want "money out of politics" you must advocate a government that has about 99% less power than it has today. Billionaires would have no use for a government that only protects liberty and enforces laws against aggressive force and fraud. There would be nothing to bribe!
Ron Paul is a living example. While in Congress, lobbyists would walk right past his office. There was nothing to bribe and they knew it.
Americans have a hard time accepting this very simple concept. There has to be something other than liberty, right? This is America. You can't have liberty here of all places.
What if politicians banned "money in politics"? Sorry, no good. First of all, that's asking politicians to get rid of their gravy train. Good luck with that one.
Second, there are an infinite number of workarounds that would spring forward for the bribers. For example, a billionaire could say: "Ok Mr. Politician, I can't transfer cash directly to you, but do this thing for me and I'll make you CEO of XYZ Corp when your congressional term comes to an end. Annual salary is $300,000. How does that sound?"
The number of ways to bribe politicians is limited by human creativity, and human creativity is limitless. Banning "money in politics" would accomplish nothing. The more powerful the politicians, the more the incentive to bribe them. Remove their powers.
Sadly, it has been accepted in America that government should intrude into every aspect of our lives. Politicians, of course, love the idea. Control freaks love to control. The more control they're given, the more money must flow into their pockets to dictate which way to tilt the tables.
No one likes to have government force used against themselves. Let the other guy suffer. So money acts as a form of protection. "Leave me alone Mr. Politician, and here's enough money to buy your family a new yacht."
Can a person with modest means offer politicians the same deal? Of course not! A person with modest means has nothing to offer the politician.
Not only is money used as protection, but it's also used to gain special legal privileges. The more powerful and intrusive the government, the more privileges it's able to bestow. Who do you think gets those privileges? The guy with moths flying out of his wallet? Or the guy that can send the politician's kid to Harvard?
The problem that Americans are having is that they seem to want a big and intrusive government, but they don't want the government to do the rich guy's bidding. Tough luck! You can't have your government cake and eat it too.
If you really want "money out of politics" you must advocate a government that has about 99% less power than it has today. Billionaires would have no use for a government that only protects liberty and enforces laws against aggressive force and fraud. There would be nothing to bribe!
Ron Paul is a living example. While in Congress, lobbyists would walk right past his office. There was nothing to bribe and they knew it.
Americans have a hard time accepting this very simple concept. There has to be something other than liberty, right? This is America. You can't have liberty here of all places.
What if politicians banned "money in politics"? Sorry, no good. First of all, that's asking politicians to get rid of their gravy train. Good luck with that one.
Second, there are an infinite number of workarounds that would spring forward for the bribers. For example, a billionaire could say: "Ok Mr. Politician, I can't transfer cash directly to you, but do this thing for me and I'll make you CEO of XYZ Corp when your congressional term comes to an end. Annual salary is $300,000. How does that sound?"
The number of ways to bribe politicians is limited by human creativity, and human creativity is limitless. Banning "money in politics" would accomplish nothing. The more powerful the politicians, the more the incentive to bribe them. Remove their powers.
Comments
If we had
only Constitutional Conservatives in elective office, we wouldn’t be having
this conversation. I agree with removing
their powers by imposing constitutional compliance and turning government into
a utility. But I would also like to see campaign contributions limited to
voters only for those who would appear on their ballots. Candidates would be
expected to put their full resumes, voting records, court opinions and
positions on issues on their own websites and buy their own yard signs. That
would immediately make running for office financially feasible for most
Americans. At that point, Political
Parties would have the task to vet candidates before they pay their filing
fees.
I’m
amazed that corporations put up with the level of extortion they suffer at the
hands of government. It’s like Nazi
Germany where companies would never complain about Hitler’s abuse.
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