the cynical optimist

america, cameroon, campaign finance, congress, corruption, eastern europe, house of representatives, lawrence lessig, politics, Super PACs, TED talk, United States, West Africa

#Corruption in America

In Democracy, Government, Thoughts?? on October 10, 2013 at 7:36 pm

What is Corruption?

Eastern Europe and West Africa are two regions that come to mind when I think about corruption. Corruption is, at its worse, an overt and unethical expectation of money or a service from someone in order, or in exchange, for another to be able to conduct their business or their daily routine.
I don’t think I have experienced such corruption in America which is where I reside. Indeed, one of my most vivid memories of Cameroon, a country I visited over a decade ago (but I hear things have not changed much and may in fact be worse), is being approached by a police officer and being told to pay a bribe and to promptly  leave the parking area of the US embassy. My family wasn’t asked to pay a bribe in order to stay, but to pay an exit fee! I also distinctly remember the roads being littered with illegal tolling stations and at one road block my passport was taken away from me in an attempt to get a bribe and/or intimidate my family.  This is in stark contrast to what I experienced traveling in Ethiopia and South Africa. And, it is because of my personal memories of Cameroon, in addition to things I read in the news, that I associate corruption most closely with West Africa (and Eastern Europe because I read similarly things in the news).
This afternoon, however, I realized that my belief that corruption is a foreign issue is completely false. The United States is currently displaying the side affects of a serious affliction of corruption. Congress has shutdown the federal government over a gridlock of interests, positions and grasps for power from representatives who “serve” an excruciatingly small segment of the population. In essence, the American population is at the mercy of “representatives” and senators who are, in fact, private servants–serving the private interests of a discrete segment of America.
Professor Lawrence Lessig presented a lecture entitled “Republic, Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress — and a Plan to Stop It.”  I think I have found an excerpt of his hour-long presentation on Ted.com. I encourage Americans, in particular, to watch it. It’s fascinating and timely given the current state of our federal government. One of the audience members at the presentation asked Professor Lessig if throwing everyone out of Congress might be a good start. In the past week or so, I have wondered the same thing. Maybe it’s time for Americans to revolt, clean house, and start over. Except, without the proper laws, regulations and expectations in place, new members of Congress would be up to their old tricks. The American public has to expect more. Too often when we think about what Congress should be doing, we roll our eyes or laugh because we know it won’t happen. Congress is a joke. Professor Lessig has made me understand the critical importance of campaign finance reform. Noone’s interests–whether you care about education, women’s rights, tax policy, or the environment–will be effectively legislated on unless and until Congress acts. And Congress isn’t acting because they are beholden to special interests. This must change. The future of our republic depends on it.

About these ads