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Well, yet another corrupt politician bit the dust this week.
Part-time state legislator, big-time bribe acceptor Joseph Bruno, former Majority Leader of the New York State Senate, was convicted in federal court this week on two counts of mail fraud (theft of honest services). Here is the US Department of Justice’s press release that provides some details. Granted, the redundancy in the words “corrupt” and “politician” is obvious. Still …
… The best preventive defense against public corruption is a vigilant and outspoken public who refuses to tolerate the peddling of political influence for private personal gain by elected and appointed officials. Unfortunately, those in power and control not only choose to ignore the public’s warnings, they also choose to try and silence the people proclaiming the warnings. Their objective: Get the complacent public to ignore the very real, very clear, and very obvious warning signs of public corruption. Corrupt politicians use the Groucho Marx model of argument: “Who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?”
That point was emphasized in the December 10, 2009, op-ed piece by New York Daily News columnist Errol Louis. The column was titled Joe Bruno’s conviction proves that in Albany, it takes a thief. Among Mr. Louis’s gems were these:
Far more important than Bruno’s fate is the future of his most important aiders and abettors: the millions of New Yorkers who have ignored warnings from good-government groups, editorial pages and other reform voices about how badly state government has gone off the rails.
The fact that there was any question of whether Bruno’s self-serving business sideline was legal is the problem. State lawmakers are considered part-time employees, free to ply various trades on the side. But disclosure rules – written by the Legislature – make it extraordinarily difficult to determine who they represent, what those clients are purchasing and whether it creates a conflict of interest.
In a slightly similar vein, NBC News reporter Gabe Pressman reported on December 8, 2009, that Joe Bruno’s Conviction Raises More Questions Than Answers.
Pressman questions the concept that legislators can be part-timers, that they can wrap up the state’s business in a few weeks, then return to their own private businesses and seemingly divorce their personal business interests from their legislative influence. He wonders if that idea has become outdated. He quotes the prosecutor thus:
The prosecutor said: “We established at this trial that Bruno exploited his office by concealing the nature and source of substantial payments that he received from parties that benefited from his official actions.”
Pressman also quoted Blair Horner, who heads NYPIRG, a reform group in Albany. Horner says a senator has a right to have an outside job but:
“Bruno blurred the distinction between state business and private business. He mixed it up — and the public has a right to expect he is serving them.”
Both Mr. Louis’s column and Mr. Pressman’s report are worth reading in total. Their observations about the New York state legislature apply equally well in many states including Idaho, but not just at the state legislatures. Real, not just statutory, conflicts of interest abound and flourish at county and local levels in Idaho as well.
New Yorkers hope that the Bruno conviction may indicate that New York has finally hit bottom. Sadly, we cannot yet be optimistic that we have.
“Et Tu, Bruno?”
Locally, I know of at least one county highway district board member who would buy property next to land the State DOT targeted for intersections and highway off-ramps.
A former power of the Idaho state house made sure that Idaho had FIXED mortgage insurance rates (unlike washington and california which are competitive) because he had a large TITLE company. Idahoans consequently were hosed during the refinance/real estate boom. We STILL have that policy.
But the larger issue is at the District of Corruption-
(From the below link)-
“Iraq, the third-largest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, is struggling to raise output from about 2.4 million barrels a day and to boost revenue from crude sales after six years of conflict destroyed the economy and infrastructure.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aXSBbl1mhSMo&pos=3
Am I the only one that sees thru this flimflam? 2,400,000 X $71 per barrel X 365 days a year is $ $62 BILLION a YEAR!!!!! That’s $373 BILLION since we’ve been there!
There are a number of questions derived from this figure-
Where has all that oil money gone ??!!!!
How could the ‘infrastructure’ of the whole country be ‘destroyed’ in just the 6 months it took to conquer Sadaam?
We rebuilt Germany and Japan in a couple of years when they REALLY were destroyed—why the delay in Iraq with far less damage and size? Who’s in charge? Aren’t there any capitalistic muslims?
Why haven’t the other countries in the OPEC CARTEL pitched in?
Why are we still there? We destroyed the Nazis and the Imperial Japanese military in less time…and they controlled a good part of the globe!
The Weapons of Mass Destruction excuse for entering Iraq in the first place was never really sold very well to the American People.
Eventually, the american people will see reality…that is, that they are paying in blood and sacrifice for oil company profits. Most Americans want oil exploration and cheaper gas prices but the oil companies have bought off politicians who fly under the mantle of “environmentalism” to keep the prices up so we aren’t even developing the resources we have here in this country.
A pox on all of the oil company prostitutes in Washington DC..
Comment by Zapatista — December 12, 2009 @ 9:07 am
Zapatista,
The technique allegedly used by the highway board member is called “snuggling.” It’s somewhat like insider trading. Essentially, local public officials with inside knowledge of upcoming proposed official actions tip their friends, relatives, and employers to the upcoming but as yet publicly unannounced action. Presumably the soon-to-be-proposed action raises the value of adjacent properties, so the “snuggled” property’s value will increase as well. They don’t even need to buy the adjacent property. All they need to do is take an option on it.
A slight variation involves a public official who has outside employment by an interested party, let’s say a developer. The developer already owns property and would like to see its value increased at taxpayer expense. The corrupt public official then officially sponsors legislation or other official actions that generate a project or series of projects that will enhance the value of his outside employer’s existing holdings. That technique is called “steering.” The public body is “steered” by the corrupt politician to spend public money on the project. In many cases, other members of the public body are quite aware of the manipulation but rationalize their behavior as being in the greater public good.
Yes, it is going on in Kootenai County. How does the corrupt public official get paid back for the insider information and steering? Use your imagination.
Comment by Bill — December 12, 2009 @ 9:17 am
I think the local crew has stopped steering and has driven the LCDC bus over the cliff.
Comment by Zapatista — December 12, 2009 @ 9:50 am
No, the LCDC political patronage slush fund, the First Unregulated Bank of Idaho, is alive and very well.
Comment by Bill — December 12, 2009 @ 10:50 am